Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 38 ℃ | Low: 28 ℃ | A little cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The cricket stadium at Chepauk is officially named the MA Chidambaram Stadium after the third son of former Madras Mayor Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar for his contribution to building the permanent stadium.
🎭 Keeping it short and sweet
The Short+Sweet theatre festival is back following a decade in the field.
What’s it about? The festival, with 50 unique plays, is presented by the Prakriti Foundation in association with the Blu Lotus Foundation, Alliance Française of Madras, and SPI Edge. The festival has become a mainstay here ever since it was an international phenomenon.
- One of the plays being presented is She/Her, a monologue penned by Marakkah on the journey of a transwoman who undergoes sex reassignment surgery.
- Other plays include Ezhavu, about a woman who breaks free from a conservative family following her husband’s death, and Kadhai Thiraikadhai Vasanam Ku Muyarchi, portraying the struggles of a 90’s filmmaker.
Festival’s history: The festival began in Sydney in 2002 and travelled around the world to present diverse stories at short-form theatre festivals. Short+Sweet South India began as Short+Sweet Chennai in 2011 and has expanded to four Southern states since 2014.
🏢 GCC growth in Chennai
Recent data shows that Chennai is at the top for headcount addition to Global Capability Centres (GCCs).
What’s it about? Chennai has emerged as a hub for GCCs in FY2024 compared to the past five years. The city added almost 95,000 employees in FY2024 over FY2019. The total headcount is now over 2.1 lakh. Hyderabad and Bengaluru are the cities that ranked below Chennai.
- Chennai is home to the large enterprise GCCs. Dozens of them have scaled up to between 2,000 and 20,000 employees. For example, it continues to attract automotive talent, with 13% of the installed capacity.
- Several of the top 10 financial services, telecom, retail, manufacturing, and automobile companies already have their GCCs in Chennai. The city stood out in the number of units installed, with a 25% increase.
Advantages: Chennai and the state is home to a robust academic ecosystem. It has the highest number of top-ranked STEM institutions in India. Chennai also has a thriving manufacturing and services sector.
⚕️ Accolade for Kauvery Hospitals
The hospital’s branches achieved platinum ratings for being a pioneer in digital healthcare.
What’s it about? Post-pandemic, the demand for healthcare services at home has increased. This has resulted in healthcare providers investing more in digital solutions and systems. Kauvery Hospital has been recognised in this regard and earned its first platinum rating.
- The Kauvery Hospital Group’s Alwarpet branch in Chennai and Tennur’s branch in Trichy were among the first 50 hospitals recognised.
- The recognition highlights the group’s digital infrastructure, which supports nurses and doctors and provides personalised digital experiences in patient care.
Criteria: The National Accreditation Board of Hospitals now assess digital healthcare practices. It considers 180 parameters ranging from digital access to patient data security to HR processes.
🐕 Stray dog survey
A new survey has shown that not everyone in the city feels there’s a stray dog menace.
What’s it about? Since the pandemic, the stray dog menace has become a recurring issue, with multiple incidents of dog bites and attacks on children. However, a survey by a professor from the University of Edinburgh and two Chennai-based NGOs, Samayu and Socratus, stated that 60% of respondents said stray dogs offered companionship and protection.
- The sample size was 4,600 people, and not everyone complained about the stray dog menace. The most common complaints were dogs fighting and barking at night.
- The mass dog vaccination programme has proven successful in controlling the population. The Goa government, for example, initiated its State Rabies Control Programme in 2015.
Population data: The number of street dogs in the state decreased from 6.4 lakh in 2012 to 4.4 lakh in 2019. The number of rabies cases also decreased. A Livestock Census by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying showed the number of street dogs was 1.71 crore in 2012. It reduced to 1.53 crore in 2019.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Thrilling rides and games await at the Little Berries Carnival this Saturday.
- Kollywood and FRIENDS fans can test their trivia at the LITQUIZ Chennai this Sunday.
- Dr. Benny Kuriakose curates a special workshop on Sustainable Architecture this weekend.
- Learn the African essence for beginners with the African Drumming & Dance Workshop this Sunday.
- Catch unique short films at the Shortfundly International Summer Short Film Festival this Sunday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I attended my college graduation ceremony: 66.7% 🏆
- I didn’t attend my college graduation ceremony: 33.3%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite public space in Chennai?
Suchi: “Beach”
Shiva: “Beach”
Akash: “Gandhi Mandapam, Guindy.”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!