Articles by Mahesh V

During Unlock 1.0, a family of two, who had been stuck out of state, arrived in Chennai. The very next morning they heard their doorbell ring. It was Vijay. He had come to enquire about their well being. Once Vijay came to know they had travelled last evening, he promptly took their details and stuck a green sticker given by the Corporation on their door, stating that members of this family would be under home quarantine. He briefed them on what to do for the next 14 days, while they would remain quarantined. Over the next 14 days, Vijay would…

We have almost come to the end of June; in the normal course of events, by mid-June all students would have been back in school, classmates hugging each other and the school curriculum operational in full swing. Not 'this' June, however. Not only do schools continue to be closed, there's no visibility either on what the future holds for students and teachers, given the COVID-19 curve in the country that shows little sign of flattening. Just as everywhere else, schools in the city are apprehensive. It is unlike any situation they've faced before. "I think the education system has never…

Translated by Sandhya Raju 60 வயதான அனிதா மற்றும் அவரின் 65 வயதான கணவருக்கு கோவிட்-19 தொற்று உறுதி செய்யப்பட்டதும், இது அதிர்ச்சியளிக்கும் தகவலாக அவர்களுக்கு அமையவில்லை. "மார்ச் 15 அன்று நியூசிலாந்த்திலிருந்து நாங்கள் திரும்பினோம். எங்களுடன் விமானத்தில் பயணம் செய்த ஒருவர் உடல்நிலை பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்ததால், எங்களுக்கும் தொற்று வரும் வாய்ப்பு உள்ளதை நாங்கள் அறிந்திருந்தோம்," என்கிறார் அனிதா. கோவிட் தொற்றை எதிர்கொண்டதை பற்றியும், தன் அனுபவத்தையும் அனிதா விவரிக்கிறார். தொற்றின் ஆரம்பம் “நியூசிலாந்த் நாட்டில் தொற்று எண்ணிக்கை அந்த நேரத்தில் அவ்வளவாக இல்லை என்பதால் நாங்கள் நாடு திரும்பிய போது சோதனைக்கு உட்படுத்தப்படவில்லை. ஆனாலும், எங்களின் கோட்டூர்புர வீட்டில் நாங்களே எங்களை தனிமைப்படுத்திக் கொண்டோம். இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு பிறகு எங்களுக்கு காய்ச்சல் ஏற்பட்டது. இந்த நாட்கள் மிகவும் வித்தியாசமாக இருந்தது. எனக்கு வெகு குறைவான அறிகுறியே தென்பட்டது. முதல் நாள், 100*F வெப்பம் இருந்தது, அடுத்த நாள் 99*F…

When Anita, aged 60 and her husband, 65, tested positive for COVID-19, it didn't feel like news to them. "We were returning from New Zealand on March 15th and a fellow passenger in our flight was sick. We expected to get it," says Anita candidly. Anita narrates her experience in dealing with COVID and shares some advice for fellow citizens: The start of the illness "We were not tested for COVID-19 in the beginning probably since we had returned from New Zealand, where number of the cases was still low back then. But we self quarantined ourselves at our home…

A study conducted in 2016 by the Tamil Nadu State Labour Department estimated that around 1.94 lakhs migrant workers live and work in Chennai. Accounting for the neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur, the number goes up to around 5 lakhs, making up just over 50% of the migrant labour workforce in the state. A vast majority of them have been struggling as they look for options to survive in the city in the wake of the COVID crisis and the resulting lockdown. Some have managed to leave for their home towns, but for many others who are hoping to…

With schools across the country forced to suspend classes because of the COVID lockdown, children across the country are now meeting an entirely new set of teachers who help them with their coursework: their desktops, laptops, iPads - and their parents. Classes went online with most schools switching to virtual classrooms, circulating homework via emails and conducting video tutorials. From yoga classes to science lessons, schools in India are gearing up to impart online education for an indefinite period.  Traditionally, Indian parents are used to a routine: getting children ready in the morning, sending them to school, picking them up…

Since India imposed a complete three-week lock down of the country, there has been a lot of discussion on the desperate plight of its migrant workers who have spread themselves thin across the country, in search of their daily bread. When the lockdown was announced, thousands of them tried to get back to their hometowns using whatever means of transport was available, and more often than not, on foot. In Chennai alone on Sunday night, when the first 14-hour lockdown took place, local government figures revealed about 4,500 workers were stuck at the city's railway station, unable to return home.…

India is in the midst of a 21-day lockdown that started today. In his televised address to the nation, Modi exhorted the nation to cooperate with the 21-day lockdown, violation of which could “set us back by 21 years,” in the Prime Minister's words. He warned of the dire consequences faced by other nations as a result of ignoring mandates of social distancing and urged the country to stay indoors to avoid a similar fate. However, the last time that the PM asked all Indians to stay at home, on March 22nd for a day, the results had been mixed.…

Before I explain the title, let's look at the numbers. As of March 15th, 2020 169,444 cases of Coronavirus have been reported across the GlobeThere are more cases outside China now than in China - which was the epicenter (80,848 - China, 88,696 cases outside)83.8% recovery rate in China, 11.2% recovery rate outside China These are some simplistic numbers given above to explain the impact of the virus. Let's understand the stages of transmission of the virus: Stage 1 is when people come with the virus into India. Stage 2 is local transmission when the affected people transmit the virus…

The locality of Chintadripet in Chennai is known for its popular fish market and also as a hub of electrical goods. With the river Cooum forming a horse-shoe shaped boundary to this locality and with only two entry points from Egmore and Anna Salai, this tiny neighbourhood is a storehouse of history. An early morning walk conducted by Madras Inherited -- an initiative of a group of architects and researchers seeking to unravel hidden architectural gems through heritage walks -- unveiled the treasures of this forgotten neighbourhood in Chennai. Chintadripet was originally called 'Chinna tari pettai,' which translates to 'a…