Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny skies and warm temperatures.
🧐 Did you know? Out of about 110 silent films that were produced in South India till 1932, 73 were made in Madras. The last silent Tamil movie was Vishnu Lila.
🧑🏫 Handling sexual harassment on campuses
The Kalakshetra case has highlighted the need to look at the mechanisms in place to tackle campus sexual harassment.
What’s it about? Per the University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations from 2015, all educational institutions should have an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to deal with sexual harassment cases. Some colleges have disciplinary committees or gender cells that double as ICCs.
- In some cases of students in city colleges, the ICC has let them down. Repeated complaints didn’t result in disciplinary action. Some women’s colleges claim they don’t need ICCs since they don’t have male students, which is a misconception.
- In normal circumstances, an inquiry should be completed by the ICC within 90 days of the complaint. It should be submitted with recommendations to the executive authority of the institution. They should then act on it within 30 days.
Strengthening ICCs: V Sakthi Rekha, from the ICC at Madras School of Social Work, said students and faculty should be made aware of the importance of ICC during the academic year. Staff and students can be a part of the ICC and a gender cell to help them address gaps in the redress system.
🚇 OMR Metro rail hub
Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) could become a metro rail hub with several lines intersecting.
What’s it about? OMR might become the next Metro rail hub with crisscrossing lines at major junctions of Okkiam Thoraipakkam and Sholinganallur. People will be able to switch between lines to reach different parts of the city.
- The designs for the two stations are being tweaked for additional platforms and tracks in the future in case officials decide to extend the line to East Coast Road (ECR) and Velachery. Both stations are located on important junctions of OMR.
- When the stations are operational, passengers from Anna Nagar, Porur, Nungambakkam, and Adyar can switch corridors to head toward ECR.
Who said what? A Metro official said the changes being made to the stations are minor and won’t increase the project’s cost much. T Archunan, the project director, said the design at the Sholinganallur station would be challenging since the corridor will be built above a flyover. One resident said travel time would be reduced and benefit IT employees and ECR residents.
🎫 CSK tickets on the black market
Tickets for the upcoming CSK match at Chepauk are openly on sale on the black market.
What’s it about? For today’s CSK match at Chepauk against the Rajasthan Royals, tickets costing ₹750 are being sold on the black market for over ₹5,000. As online tickets sold out quickly, some who queued up at the stadium hoping to scalp tickets are now selling them at marked-up prices.
- Fans have blamed CSK for reserving a large portion of tickets for corporate sponsors. Only 40% of the tickets for the IPL games in Chennai are on sale, and the demand is huge. At the previous match, many who got the complimentary tickets didn’t show up.
- Online tickets were open in only four stands, and the rest were reserved. For many who stood in line at the stadium, they weren’t able to get tickets.
Rationale: CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said they’re obligated to reserve 20% of the tickets to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). Apart from this, 13,000 tickets are given to TNCA division clubs.
🍲 New concept restaurant on Metro campus
The Chennai Metro campus at Nandanam is home to Kraft Retail Dining.
What’s it about? Inside the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) campus in Nandanam is the new dining experience with glass walls. Run by Anitha Mohan, its director and architect, the restaurant doubles as a showcase for its products and designs. Anitha also runs Wood Inc, which sells home decor.
- The two-storeyed space has pieces designed by Anitha and her team with handmade fabrics and wood-carved and cement door knobs. The tables are made of resin, cement, and wood.
- The restaurant caters to those who love Pan Asian cuisine, with an equal amount of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Anitha has expanded the operations with Kraft Tea which will soon begin serving tea, coffee, and snacks to CMRL employees.
Journey: Kraft Retail Dining opened its first outlet on East Coast Road (ECR) a year ago and received an excellent response. The restaurant’s workshop is on ECR as well. The consultant chef, Gokul Mohit, said since they’re on the CMRL campus, they have a set Indian menu too.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Did you manage to score tickets for an IPL match this season?
- Yes, I did get tickets for an IPL match this season.
- No, I didn’t get tickets for an IPL match this season.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Who was your favourite cartoon character growing up, and why?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The Madras High Court ordered the Chennai Corporation to remove encroachments along the Loop Road at Marina Beach.
- Valluvar Kottam will be renovated along with memorials to honour past Dravidian leaders.
- IIT Madras has commercialised four state-of-the-art software packages in photoelastic analysis and simulation.
- Ramzan heritage walk this week will shed light on Islamic culture and history in Chennai.
- Andhra Pradesh teachers will enrol in courses at IIT Madras to enhance their teaching skills.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have filed a complaint with a consumer watchdog: 40.0%
- I haven’t filed a complaint with a consumer watchdog: 60.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What movie do you never get bored of rewatching?
Chitra: “The Sound of Music”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!