Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 35 ℃ | Low: 24 ℃ | Clear and sunny skies.
🧐 Did you know? The first legislature of the erstwhile Madras State was constituted in March 1952, after the first general elections were held in January 1952.
🍽️ Serving Iftar meals
The Sufidar Trust hosts thousands of Muslims for an Iftar feast at their temple.
What’s it about? At their temple in Dr Radhakrishnan Road in Mylapore, volunteers get things ready as they prepare to host Muslims for Iftar meals as they break their fast.
- Buckets of fried rice, bananas, pickles, milk, water, and dates are packed and given to people sitting in the courtyard.
- The Walajah Big mosque and the temple have had a long-standing relationship. Both entered into an agreement to prepare Iftar meals for Muslims during Ramzan.
History: It’s a 40-year-old tradition introduced by Dada Ratanchand. He, a Hindu, took refuge in Chennai during the partition and set up the Sufidar Trust. The temple propagates the teachings of the Sufi saint Shahenshah Baba Nebhraj Sahib.
🚙 Nissan bets on Chennai
Renault-Nissan is betting big on Chennai becoming one of its global assets.
What’s it about? The company’s plant at Oragadam will become a hub for its four new SUVs. The company will focus on localisation and new technologies like autonomous driving, connectivity, and electrification.
- The plant has already been following the Make in India initiative. it produces 90% of the components. It has produced 2.7 million cars, of which 1.2 million have been exported.
- The plant operates in two shifts and can produce 480 cars a day. It currently makes 178 a day. All the 44 steps involved in the manufacture of a car are done within the plant.
Future plans and challenges: The company believes India will become a hub for exports. However, it faces competition from local carmakers as there’s an increased emphasis on localisation to compete.
🗳️ The battle for Chennai South
Chennai South has become one of the most closely-watched constituencies in the upcoming election.
Basic facts & electoral history: Chennai South is the fourth largest constituency in the state with over 20 lakh voters. Apart from the upwardly mobile population, it’s also home to lakhs of working-class citizens. It has been a DMK stronghold since the party has won 9 of the 17 elections. Prominent leaders like CN Annadurai and Murasoli Maran have won here.
- It’s a three-way contest between DMK’s Thamizhachi Thangapandian, AIADMK’s J Jayavardhan, and Tamilisai Soundararajan from BJP.
- The BJP is hopeful about its chances with the Brahmin population. The DMK reclaimed the seat in 2019 with 50.28% of the votes after the AIADMK won it in 2009 and 2014.
What are the issues? The main issues in this part of the city concern transport and infrastructure. Waterlogging during monsoons, delays in metro and MRTS work and the controversial proposal for an eco-park at the Pallikaranai marshland, to name a few.
🚌 Higher private bus fares
Private omnibus operators have increased fares due to the extended weekend and election campaigning.
What’s it about? The state transport department announced 505 special buses from Chennai to other parts of the state. An additional 650 buses will ferry passengers from the new Kilambakkam bus terminus, Koyambedu, and Madhavaram this weekend.
- On a normal day, travelling from Chennai to Madurai or Coimbatore costs between ₹700 and ₹1,000. Now, ticket prices are almost ₹5,000 for a basic non-a/c bus.
- Bus termini see chaos on weekends since passengers complain about the lack of buses. It’s only after that new buses are added.
Reserved passengers: Over 14,000 passengers had already reserved seats. At the Kilambakkam bus terminus, most buses are already filled with reserved passengers. It becomes hard for commuters to find a bus.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- For music lovers, the music jamming session LITJAM is happening this Sunday.
- Keep Besant Nagar clean at the community-driven beach cleanup this weekend.
- Poets, musicians, and storytellers come together for Kommune’s Open Mic this Sunday.
- Celebrate women’s stories at Story Time with Cauvery Kesavasamy this Sunday.
- Singer Rama Priya is joined by talented musicians for Harmony Unplugged this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- My school had a science lab: 60.0% 🏆
- My school didn’t have a science lab: 40.0%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What app on your phone do you use the most?
Chitra: “Instagram”
Suchi: “WhatsApp”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!