Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: It’s going to be mostly sunny with some cloud cover.
🧐 Did you know? The Chepauk cricket stadium is considered the second-oldest in India. It was established in 1916 as the Madras Cricket Club Ground. It was later renamed the M.A. Chidambaram stadium after the former president of the BCCI and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.
🚧 ₹20 crores expenditure on monsoon preparedness
The water resources department has begun work ahead of the northeast monsoon.
What’s happening? The city is gearing up ahead of the northeast monsoon with various infrastructure work. The Water Resources Department (WRD) is spending ₹20 crores in the Chennai region on various projects. The government has informed the WRD to accelerate work in flood-prone areas like Tambaram, Mudichur, and other places in South Chennai.
- Waterways will be cleared of debris, silt, weeds, and other blockages before the monsoon arrives. Dumping of waste leads to inundation and the spread of diseases.
- In the first phase, the WRD will remove weeds and vegetation in the Velachery tank and Veerangal odai drainage channel from the Adambakkam tank to the Pallikaranai swamp.
Locations involved: About 122 projects will be implemented in the Chennai Araniyar basin, the Cooum, the Virugambakkam Canal, and Buckingham Canal, among others.
📚 A Chennai library’s VR experience
Instead of borrowing a book, you can experience it in a virtual reality (VR) installation.
What’s it about? At the city’s Goethe-Institut library, things aren’t what they seem. The library itself has a green glow. It has QR codes, projections on the walls, and glass jars with 3D-printed sculptures. It’s part of The Infinite Library that’s travelling through Goethe-Institut libraries across the country.
- The VR experience, titled The Main Cavern, lasts 15 minutes. It’s a combination of all the components of the library with three choices – Library of Shadows, Elements, or Navigation.
- The third choice, Navigation, was created by filmmaker Mika Johnson from the Czech Republic. You’ll be in a boat travelling along the waves with a dog companion and dolphins in the sea.
History: The Infinite Library has been in the works for two years. It started travelling in March. For Mika, the installation is influenced by a sci-fi story from Jorge Juis Borges. It’s a way to reimagine the library as a public space. The next stop is Pune.
🎖️ Tweaking of the syllabus for women combatants
The Officer’s Training Academy (OTA) will modify its syllabus if women are included in combat roles.
Story so far: The OTA had trained more than 2,800 women officers since 1993, when the first batch passed out. The academy also named its women’s hostel after freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal. Now, the OTA will change its syllabus accordingly if women are offered combat roles in the future.
- Since women were given non-combat roles, the OTA has already modified its training syllabus. One-third of the cadets are women, and the training style has changed over the years.
- They’re being trained on par with their male counterparts. They undergo 11 months of training and run 35-45 km along with the male cadets.
🧾 Ford agrees to a deal with the employee union
Ford India has reached a deal with the employees union for a severance package.
Story so far: The Ford India factory has been shut since August 31 as the company begins to wind down its operations here. In July, the company rolled out its last production car from the Maraimalai Nagar plant. It has been locked in a dispute with the union on a severance package. The earlier one was rejected.
- The final package will include a one-time lump sum of ₹1.5 lakhs. With this, each employee will get a cumulative package ranging from ₹34.5 to ₹86.5 lakhs.
- It represents about 5.1 years or 62 months’ salary for each employee. The revised settlement will be executed before the month-end as the company continues to pay wages till September 30.
What it said: In a statement, Ford India said it remains grateful to the union, the state government, and labour officials. As the company winds down, it announced last year it will sell only imported vehicles in the country.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Manoj Prabhakar’s comedy show is happening at Medai – The Stage in Alwarpet on Sunday.
- At the Mylapore Fine Arts Club this Saturday, check out “Once Upon A Time in Kollywood”, a comedy show.
- On Sunday at the Mylapore Fine Arts Club is a celebration of singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam.
- Singer-songwriter Dikshant will perform at the Seven Sins Bar & Pub this Sunday.
- How many books can you carry in the box? Find out at the Bookchor’s book fair at Vijaya Mahal, T Nagar, starting today.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I have worked for a startup: 50.0% 🏆
- I have not worked for a startup: 50.0% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!