Good morning, Chennai!
🌧️ Today’s weather: More cloudy weather with some rain.
🧐 Did you know? The Cosmopolitan Club is thought to have played an important role in the formation of the Justice Party. Its founder, TM Nair, was noticed by Chennai’s social elite when he became a member of the club.
⛵ Set sail
13-year-old Shreya Krishna Lakshminarayanan has set sail to new waters.
Who is she? The teenage sailor from Chennai was the only Indian at the International Optimist Dinghy Association for the Asian & Oceanian Sailing Championships in Abu Dhabi. She finished first in the girl’s category and eighth overall at the Mussanah Racing Week Championship last month.
- She began sailing at age eight and realised her love for it. At a summer camp at the Madras Yacht Club, she could sail by herself on the third day. She began training in 2019 with Zephra Currimbhoy, but the pandemic forced a break.
- In early 2021, she restarted under Chinna Reddy and participated in the National Ranking Regatta in Hyderabad. She moved to the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association and teamed up with sailor Arjun Pradipak.
Training and costs: Even without Arjun by her side, she continued to train in Bombay and later in Portugal for two weeks with Mariana Pinto. All this training comes at a high financial cost since the gear and equipment need to be bought from abroad.
🚉 Poor accessibility at stations
Non-functional escalators at several railway stations make them inaccessible and pose a risk to passengers.
What’s it about? At the Tambaram, Sanatorium, and Chrompet railway stations, the escalators have not been functioning for many months. They work for a few days and then become defunct.
- At these particular stations, the highways department built foot-over-bridges for commuters with escalators. The escalators don’t work, perhaps due to poor maintenance or bad quality equipment.
- For the elderly and disabled, these stations become inaccessible since there aren’t any lifts. People are forced to climb the stairs or cross the National Highway on foot.
What’s the issue? According to officials, the escalators don’t work because the cables are bitten by rats. Also, water sometimes enters the escalator, which had to be repaired.
📔 Tales of Indian comic books
A new exhibition traces the history of the storylines and characters of Indian comic books.
What’s it about? While we’re familiar with the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, and The Avengers, there’s another world closer to home that’s full of characters to discover. The World of Indian Comics exhibition brings together characters and storylines of Indian comic books from the past.
- At the Dakshinachitra Museum, its 2023-24 management interns used the library’s extensive collection to curate the exhibition. It traces the journey from the earliest publication to the recent series.
- It includes some of the popular ones like Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha to older issues of Kalki and Tamil versions of popular comics.
A nostalgia trip: The exhibition offers visitors a nostalgic journey through some of the characters that were popular in decades past and introduces the younger generation to the world of Indian comics.
Details: The exhibition runs till December 30 at the Varija Gallery, Dakshinachitra Heritage Museum.
🏎️ Indian Racing Festival 2023
The second season of the Indian Racing Festival will kick off at the Madras International Circuit.
What’s it about? Following the success of the inaugural edition, the second edition of the Indian Racing Festival will begin this week at the Madras International Circuit. The event will run from December 1 to 17.
- This season will feature six teams that mirror the F4 teams, including the Hyderabad Blackbirds, Speed Demons Delhi, and Chennai Turboriders.
- Both the Indian Racing League (IRL) and F4 share the same team names, adding to the excitement. Unlike the F4 tournament, the IRL is a separate event with a unique format of cars and teams where points are awarded based on the car number.
Back for more: The IRL is back with higher stakes thanks to the new points system and strategic team dynamics. The goal is to help foster a motorsports culture in India and a platform for young talent.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you ever gone boating?
- I have gone boating.
- I haven’t gone boating.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What children’s books did you read as a kid?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Dead fish were removed from the Kapaleeswarar temple tank due to possible pollution.
- Counsellors will help students during the IIT Madras placement season.
- Hyderabad-based CtrlS has pledged ₹2 crore to the Vandalur Zoo to improve its infrastructure.
- The Chennai Metro was awarded the Green Champion Award by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
- A two-day workshop organised by the World Tamil Research Centre in Chennai educated students on Tamil manuscripts.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- The new proposed airport at Parandur is too far away: 100.0% 🏆
- The new proposed airport at Parandur isn’t too far away: 0.0%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite flavour of Lay’s chips?
Suchi: “Lay’s is unhealthy. I don’t eat.”
Kalaiarasi: “American Style Cream And Onion and Spanish Tomato Tango”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!