Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 38 ℃ | Low: 27 ℃ | Hot weather for the day!
🧐 Did you know? The famed Brodie Castle was one of the earliest structures in the city. It was built by James Brodie on the north bank of the Adyar River in 1796.
🥁 The drum beat
For drummer S Muralikrishnan, it’s all about nurturing the next generation of talent.
What’s it about? The drummer, also known as Drums Murali in Chennai, is a natural on the drums or playing on any surface since it’s a great way to practice. The 46-year-old multi-percussionist plays the western drums, timbales, cajon, and cymbals, to name a few. He also runs Jus Drums School of Percussion to conduct summer camps and classes.
- His school has seen students go from learning basic drumming to performing on stage. It’s a generational thing, as he’s also taught some of his previous student’s kids.
- He also volunteers with the Chennai Volunteers for Rhythm sessions for the less privileged. This year’s 22nd annual summer camp is open to anyone aged 5 and above.
Personal journey: He started playing professionally in 1996 by learning the mridangam. It helped him collaborate with classical musicians. Then came the film world with Oram Po in 2007, working with the likes of Harris Jayaraj and GV Prakash, and performing with AR Rahman at the Indian Super League’s inauguration in 2015.
🧁 Dessert entrepreneurs
Chennai is home to many student entrepreneurs who’ve used their love for food to start a business.
What’s it about? Apart from the various cafes and restaurants that dot the city’s culinary landscape, food carts have become increasingly popular, attracting good crowds in the evenings. Many of these carts, especially those that cater to the sweet tooth, are products of student entrepreneurs who’ve taken their love for baking and desserts and made a business out of it.
- Dopamine, from founder Mugitha and her two second-year SRM friends, offers brownies and hot chocolate with exotic toppings. Tempt at Anna Nagar from law student Aishwarya was the product of her love for baking.
- These small carts and many more see steady crowds of regulars and influencers filming their latest finds.
Juggling a lot: For some of these student entrepreneurs, starting a business was a way to address their financial instability due to their backgrounds. That meant juggling the business in the evenings and attending college in the mornings.
🚄 Discussing hyperloops
IIT Madras organised a Global Hyperloop Conference to help introduce the concept in India.
What’s it about? The conference titled “Parivahan” provided a platform for innovative teams involved in this futuristic technology. It featured hyperloop concepts from around the world.
- The conference brought together companies, speakers, and teams working on hyperloop systems to share their vision of why this technology is the future of sustainable transportation.
- This conference’s edition was to highlight how remote cities can be connected through hyperloops. It provides a sustainable transport system with high-speed connectivity and minimal environmental impact.
Awareness of its benefits: The speakers noted the benefits of a hyperloop, namely speed, safety, and sustainability. It’s a transportation mode that can operate irrespective of the weather conditions with low energy consumption.
🚙 Anna Nagar’s parking plan
The CUMTA has proposed a pilot parking plan for Anna Nagar that involves an hourly fee.
What’s it about? The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) has proposed a parking plan for Anna Nagar with an hourly fee. The pilot phase will cover 5 sq km and 23 km of the road network. CUMTA will likely be the only agency to implement and regulate parking management in Chennai.
- A detailed study of the area has already been done by CUMTA. A tender will likely be floated to cover primary and secondary roads.
- The parking charges will be finalised in consultation with the Chennai Corporation and the traffic police. The parking draft policy from CUMTA will be implemented by the state government.
Previous attempt: In 2013, the AIADMK government announced an integrated parking management project for Chennai for ₹2,000 crore. The plan was to accommodate 2 lakh four-wheelers and 2 lakh two-wheelers.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Would you buy an Electric Vehicle if it was cheaper?
- I would buy an Electric Vehicle if it was cheaper.
- I wouldn’t buy an Electric Vehicle if it was cheaper.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which public figure would you like to see a biopic of?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Delve deeper into the issue of Chennai’s low voter turnout.
- Animal shelters in the city are under scanner after recent raids revealed poor conditions and overcrowding.
- Over 1,200 roads across the city will be relaid by the Chennai Corporation beginning this June.
- The city’s reservoirs are at half-capacity, and Chennai isn’t expected to face a water crisis.
- The play Pattanathil Bhootham opened the 33rd Kodai Nataka Vizha by Kartik Fine Arts to celebrate theatre.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I prefer watching movies at home: 66.7% 🏆
- I prefer watching movies in a theatre: 33.3%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite genre of music?
Suchi: “Good film songs”
Nirja: “Jazz music”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!