Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Hot and sunny for today.
🧐 Did you know? Kodambakkam was a hub for movie studios in Chennai. The likes of AVM, Vijaya-Vauhini, Golden, and Majestic were present in the locality.
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🤖 Helpful robots
The Surana High Tech School introduces robots in the classroom.
What’s it about? The recently inaugurated Surana High Tech School in Besant Nagar has introduced robots to assist those who can’t physically attend classes due to medical reasons. Thanks to a partnership with Apollo Hospitals, these robots will help kids undergoing treatment.
- The “Buddy Robots” will help some kids participate in educational activities and have classroom interactions. The robot will be their eyes and ears.
- The robots are more advanced since they have social skills and display a wide range of emotions. For the kids in hospitals, they become companions to facilitate social connections with friends and teachers.
New possibilities: With innovations and technology like this, education becomes more accessible. It can help unlock new potential uses of similar technology in other spheres. It’s also a welcome distraction for those undergoing treatment.
🍲 Feeding the city’s caretakers
Councillor Kaviganesan Veerasamy arranges breakfast for conservancy workers.
What’s it about? For conservancy workers, it’s a daily routine of waking up at 6 am and getting to work, not having time to eat breakfast. The Corporation and waste management contractors don’t provide breakfast for the workers. Ward 12 councillor and practising lawyer Kaviganesan Veerasamy is changing that himself.
- For 46 workers in his ward, he arranges breakfast for them for free. He spends ₹1,800 and has also bought them a gas stove and steel tumblers to make tea or coffee at the ward office.
- Workers now feel looked after and treated with dignity and care. In some outside eateries, they’re forced to clean the place themselves, and some patrons refuse to sit with them while they’re eating.
Kaviganesan’s demands: In a March council meeting, he demanded that workers must get a mandatory breakfast. He also called for a standing committee for solid waste management activities.
🎨 Capturing the human-aminal bond through art
Artist Dushyant Patel’s latest exhibit showcases the relationship between humans and animals.
What’s it about? His latest exhibit, titled The Illusion of Existence, comments on current issues, including the bond between humans and animals in the context of pressing environmental challenges.
- The Chennai exhibit, comprising 110 pieces, incorporates local elements and took 8 to 9 months to prepare. The animal figures serve as metaphors to talk about environmental concerns.
- The animals in his latest work are symbols that carry the weight of a cultural and environmental legacy. His narrative and surrealist approach allows him to use abstract depictions.
Inspirations: His inspirations range from childhood memories to tales from the Panchatantra to cultural anecdotes. He also takes inspiration from the daily news and magazines to highlight social and environmental issues.
Details: The Illusion of Existence is on display till August 26 at the Apparao Galleries in Nungambakkam.
📽️ From Japan to Chennai for Rajinikanth
A Japanese couple travelled from Osaka to Chennai to have a first-day first-show experience of Jailer.
Who are they? Hotel manager Yasuda Hidetoshi is a big fan of Rajinikanth. Along with his wife Yasuda Satsuki, they’ve travelled all the way from Osaka, Japan, to watch his latest release, the Nelson-directed Jailer.
- The plan is to watch back-to-back shows at the Kasi and Albert theatres, quoting his favourite punchline from Jailer, “Hukum, tiger ka hukum”.
- Yasuda recently met Rajinikanth himself at his residence to congratulate him on the success of the movie’s audio launch.
History: Yasuda has been a fan since he watched the 1998 film Muthu which ran for 100 days in Japan. He has made frequent trips to Chennai to celebrate his film releases. He first met Rajinikanth in 2002 and then a decade later during the release of Lingaa.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you think Chennai needs a bullet train route to other cities?
- Chennai needs a bullet train route to other cities.
- Chennai doesn’t need a bullet train route to other cities.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What club/extracurricular activity in college do you wish you were a part of?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The Water Resources Department has invited bids to desilt the Madhavaram Retteri Lake to increase its capacity.
- RK Salai and Adyar flyovers will be razed to facilitate metro construction.
- The removal of bus shelters in various places due to metro work has left commuters with little space to wait for buses.
- Nike’s flagship Rise store opened its first outlet in Chennai at Phoenix Marketcity.
- Tamil Nadu Congress Committee will organise a Dalit Sangaman in Chennai.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I own Chennai Super Kings merchandise: 28.6%
- I don’t own Chennai Super Kings merchandise: 71.4% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which radio station do you listen to the most?
Chitra: “Radio Mirchi”
Shiva: “98.3 FM Radio Mirchi”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!