Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 34 ℃ | Low: 26 ℃ | Sunny weather for the day.
🧐 Did you know? It was at Krishna Vilas in Mylapore where “seventeen good men and true” from across major Indian cities gathered in 1884 to form a national movement for political ends. This led to the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885.
🍽️ Chennai’s mess mecca
Mylapore has become a hub for messes, with iconic and new ones giving people plenty of options.
What’s it about? Mylapore is one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods and has seen an increase in the number of messes with longstanding and new ones. The locality represents and upholds the city’s tradition and culture, even in the modern era.
- The Mami Mess, established in 1959, is considered the pioneer. Then there’s Rayar’s Mess, previously known as Rayar’s Cafe. These locations and others cater to customers new and old.
- People’s changing eating habits means these establishments have had to change with the times but have kept their essence. Over the decades, people decided to eat out more often as more eateries opened up.
Evolving mess culture? The mess culture in Chennai was originally popular in Triplicane, called the bachelor’s paradise during the British era. Mylapore was comprised more of families at the time. There were restaurants like Udupi Hotel and Sarvana Bhavan, but no messes.
🎨 Exploring nature through art
Ranabir Saha and Debarati Roy Saha’s exhibition speaks to nature and ecological conservation.
From Bengal to TN: Kolkata-based artists Ranabir Saha and his wife Debarati Roy Saha, are bringing their paintings to Chennai. The works address environmental restoration and comment on its degradation and rejuvenation.
- The influence of nature drives artistic creations. The paintings reflect the different types of flowers, birds, and insects. The new series from Debarati Saha embodies her memories.
- For Ranabir, being in nature is being at home. It’s a tranquil place. With rapid changes, environmental degradation has become a concern.
Palette & process: The palette has soft and muted tones. Each piece of work evolves through experimentation with colours and techniques.
Details: The exhibition begins on March 26 at Artworld Sarala’s Art Centre.
💸 Promoting financial inclusion
Chennai-based Fincover has emerged as a leading loan aggregator as the fintech sector looks to accelerate financial inclusion.
What are they? The company began operations in 2020 and has quickly become a leading loan aggregator. The company leverages data and new-age technology to simplify the loan process and empower loan Direct Selling Agents (DSA) across India.
- The platform connects potential borrowers with lenders by simplifying the process. It has partnered with banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFCs) to provide multiple loan options.
- The company used advanced algorithms and machine learning to analyse people’s profiles and match them with suitable loan products. Point-of-sale persons bring a personal touch to customers so they can speak directly about options.
What’s next? The company is working on a mobile app for users and point-of-sale persons. It’ll help users in managing their financial portfolios.
🏐 Volleyball tournament in Chennai
Chennai will play host to the next edition of the Volleyball Club Worlds this year.
What’s it about? This year’s edition of the Volleyball Club World Championships will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in December. The Prime Volleyball League has signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government.
- Promoters of the PVL, Baseline Ventures, signed a deal with the Volleyball World and the governing body to hold the tournament in India for two years.
- The tournament is likely to begin on December 11. Groundwork has already begun, and organisers have almost finalised the hotels and accommodation for the visiting teams.
History: Last year’s edition was held in Bengaluru. The Ahmedabad Defenders became the first Indian team to compete in the tournament.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Cyrus Broacha comes to Chennai with Cyrusly by Cyrus Broacha this Saturday.
- Celebrate Holi at the Mohey Rang De – The Holi Bash this Sunday.
- Comic book fans can enjoy at Comically: A Fan’s Fest, this Sunday.
- For music lovers, Tour Alappara has a concert this Sunday.
- Pay tribute to Harris Jeyaraj with Harris Musical Night this Sunday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I plan to attend an IPL match this year: 25.0%
- I don’t plan to attend an IPL match this year: 75.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Who are you rooting for in the upcoming IPL?
Chitra: “CSK”
Suchi: “Chennai Super Kings”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!