Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 38 ℃ | Low: 28 ℃ | Sunny and hot for today.
🧐 Did you know? The Agri-Horticultural Society (AHS) originated the idea of hosting flower shows in the city. The first known show is believed to have been held in the early 1830s.
📖 Literature for all
A new initiative at the Anna Centenary Library will help visually impaired readers experience their favourite literary works.
What’s it about? New state-of-the-art facilities at the library include a soon-to-be-launched app for 100 competitive books in audio, DAISY, and SPUB formats. A recording studio has been in place for a year for registered users who are visually impaired.
- A device called the Orbit Reader converts text into braille. The DAISY format is a combination of audio and editable text formats. Members are given audio data for free to help them study.
- There’s also a scanner called OCR that reads and converts text into audio or accessible words. English and Tamil newspapers are converted through HTML to become braille-enabled.
Preparing for exams: The majority of those who use these facilities are competitive exam aspirants. Over 100 registered students are currently in government services. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) volunteers participate in online sessions every Saturday to help students.
🎶 A tribute to Tagore
Chennai will be among the hosts for a pan-India event to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore’s 163rd birthday.
What’s it about? The event, “Unmesh – Shoto-kontthe Robi Gaan”, will be performed at the Sathyabama Institute of Science & Technology this weekend. 54-year-old Swati Bhattacharya is the mentor for the Chennai chapter of artists. She runs the Sur-O-Lohori, a government-registered music institute in the city.
- 100 artists will assemble from each city, including Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Bhopal, and Hyderabad. One organisation from each state has been tasked with holding the event.
- Swati has been training and rehearsing with different musicians in the city for this event at the Bengali Association in T Nagar.
Other details: The event will be broadcast live by Doordarshan Kendra and on social media platforms.
🛣️ Patchy roads
Poor patchwork and maintenance of roads across the city have become a hassle for motorists.
What’s it about? Since the beginning of the year, the metro water and TANGEDCO have been undertaking utility works. Once completed, they cover pits with mud and don’t level the roads. They then become bumps and shrink the space for motorists. The Chennai Corporation hasn’t restored many of these roads and the ones they have don’t hold up.
- Many of these battered stretches are at KK Nagar, Mogappair, Tondiarpet, and Old Washermenpet. Chennai has about 5,000 cut roads, and only half are legal, per officials.
- 11 service departments are digging up roads. In places where it’s legal, the Corporation restores them. In cases where it’s illegal, the Corporation finds it difficult to be at these random spots.
Delays all around: There’s usually a delay in providing testing clearance, and roads can’t be relaid before this. There’s also no communication or coordination between departments. If a sewage pipe isn’t working, the road is dug up again.
🏨 Rest up at the airport
The Chennai airport will get a mini hotel for transit passengers in the new terminal building.
What’s it about? The old rooms were demolished in 2013 to build the new terminals. The mini-hotel will be at the new terminal building next to the integrated international terminal. It’s expected to be completed in two years.
- Passengers arriving from abroad are often not allowed inside the domestic terminal if their flight is over 5-8 hours later. They sometimes have to sit on chairs outside the terminal that doesn’t have facilities for passengers who need to wait long hours.
- While rooms will be built, there’s no clarity on the policy for cloakrooms for passengers to store their baggage at the airport. For security reasons, they’re supposed to be 100 metres away from the terminal.
Previous plan: The multi-level parking building was supposed to have a hotel and a mall. However, only the mall was built. A private hotel was opened at the metro station, but there’s no signage for passengers.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer sitting in a window or aisle seat on a flight?
- I prefer the window seat on a flight.
- I prefer the aisle seat on a flight.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your go-to sweet tooth indulgence?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- A new gym was opened by Ward 42 councillor Renuka in Tondiarpet to help distract youngsters from drugs and harmful activities.
- A new exhibition at Dakshina Chitra showcases Kozhikode’s people and culture.
- High summer temperatures put a spotlight on the concerns of construction workers.
- NGOs and organisations across the city look for ways to help stray animals during the summer.
- Trains from Chennai haven’t been spared by the water crisis with many running out of water.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I like going on long drives: 55.6% 🏆
- I don’t like going on long drives: 44.4%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
How do you keep cool in the summer?
Suchi: “By hydrating the body.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!