Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 36 ℃ | Low: 26 ℃ | Mostly sunny for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Connemara Hotel was previously called the Imperial Hotel, established in 1854 by T Ruthnavaloo Mudaliar. It stands on historic land which was once the property of the Nawabs of Arcot.
👩🍳 Viral cooking
Influencer Shamshad Begum has become a hit in Chennai with her engaging content and passion for home-cooked meals.
Who is she? Shamshad’s love for home-cooked meals goes back to her childhood. She grew up with friends from different cultural backgrounds and was exposed to a variety of dishes. Now, she’s a hit on Instagram and become a household name in Chennai for her innovative approach to cooking.
- Her cooking series, Begum’s Kitchen, became a hit, and her follower count skyrocketed from 1.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh overnight. Even celebrity guests who visit the show rave about the dishes.
- The influencer turned to easy-to-make family-friendly recipes like her fluffy egg omelette. Her followers have also discovered the semiya biryani, which can be made with prawn, chicken or vegetables.
What’s next? Shamshad plans to start a YouTube channel and explore more of Tamil Nadu. Her Old is Gold series will explore the historical and cultural aspects of Chennai.
💸 Chennai’s industrialists hail budget
Several Chennai industry leaders have welcomed the pro-growth budget.
What’s it about? The industry in Chennai reacted largely positively to the 2024 Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Overall, the verdict was that it’s a pro-growth budget and supports Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), boosts employment and encourages entrepreneurship.
- TR Kesavan, President of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the budget was forward-looking with a focus on employment for women and freshers.
- Jurgen Bailom, founder & CEO of Cordelia Cruises, said the government recognised the potential of cruise tourism with the simpler tax regime for foreign companies. This would help Chennai become a cruise tourism hub.
Boost for startups and corporates: The decision to review tax laws in six months was a welcome sign, and the scrapping of the Angle Tax for all levels was welcomed to help spur entrepreneurship.
🧹 Midnight clean-up
The Chennai Corporation launched a midnight clean-up drive in an 8-km stretch.
What’s it about? To ensure minimal disturbance to commuters, the Chennai Corporation began a midnight clean-up drive across several stretches. Corporation workers removed 201 tonnes of waste.
- The drive began at 1am in Tondiarpet, MMDA, Anna Nagar, Shenoy Nagar, and T Nagar, to name a few. Over 100 Corporation employees, including IAS officers, were on hand with machinery and other equipment.
- In north Chennai, the focus was on Grand Northern Trunk Road and Erukkanchery High Road. Other areas included Besant Avenue, MG Salai, and other roads in the South Chennai zone.
Residents request: Apart from cleaning up the roads and footpaths, residents want officials to also focus on encroachments and permanent structures on roads.
🚄 Vande Bharat trains are ready
At the ICF, five new Vande Bharat trains are ready as officials await their routes and destinations.
What’s it about? The new Vande Bharat trains are ready to roll out from the Integrated Coach Factory (ICF), where they’re manufactured. The Railway Board will soon determine their destinations as final inspections are underway.
- Vande Bharat trains currently operate from Chennai to Tirunelveli, Mysuru, Coimbatore, and Vijayawada.
- A former member of the zonal rail users’ consultative committee, R Pandia Raja, demanded a Vande Bharat service between Chennai and Nagercoil and another connecting Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram via Tenkasi.
ICF’s output: Since 2018, the ICF has manufactured 70 Vande Bharat rakes. For this fiscal year, it plans to produce 3,515 rail coaches, including over 650 Vande Bharat coaches.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you baked a cake at home?
- I have baked a cake at home.
- I’ve never baked a cake at home.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which is your favourite bar/pub in the city?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The Chennai Corporation has floated tenders to privatise public toilets in Madhavaram.
- The new Income Tax slabs announced in the budget disappoint Chennai’s salaried employees.
- A teacher shortage has affected daily classes in North Chennai’s corporation schools.
- Chennai’s trans community continue to face hurdles in education and employment.
- Underground metro construction will resume at Villivakkam’s Madras Tiruvallur High (MTH) Road.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I consume street food in the city: 66.7% 🏆
- I don’t consume street food in the city: 33.3%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which animal best describes your personality?
Suchi: “A Deer”‘
Lavanya: “Duck”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!