Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: High: 29 ℃ | Low: 22 ℃ | Mostly cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The first edition of the Chennai Book Fair took place at the Madrasa-I-Azam School grounds on Mount Road in 1977.
♻️ Sustainable waste disposal for Bhogi
The Chennai Corporation has urged residents to not burn waste this Bhogi.
What’s it about? Ahead of Bhogi, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the Chennai Corporation have asked residents to not burn waste and instead hand over unwanted items to conservancy workers. Some residents across the city are adopting eco-friendly ways to dispose of old belongings.
- An apartment complex in Velachery promoted sustainable waste management through collection drives. In Karpagam Avenue, Adyar, one Residents Welfare Association collects e-waste, plastic items, and clothes and sends them to segregation centres.
- Organisations like Wasted360 help people recycle old items, clothes, kitchen utensils, etc. It conducted a collection drive at Lady Andal last week with two more planned.
Impact on health and the environment: Traditionally, Bhogi sees high pollution levels since people burn plastics, rubber items, tyres, and other pollutants. The smoke reduces air quality and causes respiratory issues.
🐢 Olive Ridley carcasses
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The carcasses of nine Olive Ridley turtles washed ashore and an investigation has been ordered.
What’s it about? A probe was ordered following the discovery of nine Olive Ridley turtle carcasses that washed ashore at Injambakkam. A local resident found the fresh carcasses with no injury marks or deep cuts, usually caused by fishing nets.
- Last week, an Akkarai resident saw six carcasses at the Akkarai beach with no visible injury marks. Chennai Wildlife Warden Manish Meena has sent a team to investigate.
- These deaths are strange since the mother turtles who travel near the shore for nesting are sometimes killed by trawler blades or become entangled in fishing nets and suffocate.
Taking stock: The Olive Ridleys have come to the city’s shores as part of the nesting season that’s expected to peak by the month’s end. Awareness programmes are being conducted to educate fisherfolk on how to help if they see distressed turtles.
🍽️ Catering to different tastes
The sabha canteens aim to please the palates during the Margazhi season.
What’s it about? The Margazhi season celebrates classical music and dance. But it’s also a treat for the taste buds, as sabha canteens form an integral part of the experience. Several caterers with decades of experience help feed visitors.
- Arusuvai Arasu Caterers, who’ve operated for over 2 decades, was among the first to introduce the sabha canteen culture at The Music Academy. For Sasthalaya Caterers, keeping customers happy is a mix of tradition and innovation.
- The crowd at the canteens come from all walks of life and age groups to experience tradition and culture. Social media plays a role in attracting a younger crowd, particularly Instagram.
Room for improvement: Some of the venues weren’t user-friendly or accessible. Several sabha canteen venues didn’t have car parking or chairs for people to sit and eat.
📚 Poor sales for pavement booksellers
For sellers who can’t afford a stall at the Book Fair, sales have taken a hit this year.
What’s it about? Sales numbers for the pavement sellers are usually good during the Chennai Book Fair, but this year it’s different. While the Book Fair normally continues through the Pongal holidays, this year, it ends before.
- The sales numbers for pavement sellers are often good since they have old editions of publications that aren’t in circulation anymore. Some sellers believe the Fair should’ve been extended by a few more days.
- The organisers, the Booksellers’ and Publishers’ Association of South India (BAPASI), confirmed that the Fair won’t be extended, with January 12 the last day.
Economical: For regular visitors, the used books sold by pavement sellers are cheaper since they’re second-hand. However, the pavement being in poor condition means visitors often find it tough to navigate.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you been to a book fair/literature festival?
- I have been to a book fair/literature festival.
- I haven’t been to a book fair/literature festival.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite Pongal tradition?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Autorickshaw drivers’ union have announced a new fare structure since the government hasn’t revised fares.
- Former Chennai residents like Harish Rao have made it to foreign cricket administrative roles.
- Vegetable prices increase at Koyambedu market ahead of Pongal.
- Greater Chennai Police will deploy 16,000 police personnel for Kannum Pongal.
- A police investigation uncovered how fake NRI certificates were used for medical college admissions.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!