Articles by Meenakshi Ramesh

On the evening of Saturday, March 31st, the residents of Besant Nagar were taken aback when large stretches of perfectly laid pavements, between Theosophical Society and Olcott School, interspersed with young trees protected by tree guards, were dug up and uprooted by a crew from the Greater Chennai Corporation. When they asked what the work was about, and who had ordered it, they were told that the Bus Route Roads (BRR) department of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), had a plan to widen the pavements and provide bicycle lanes. But why break perfectly good stretches when there are so many…

Chennai airport has been in the news for quite some time now. For those of us who regularly come through its portals, some of the news sounds almost comic. One of the articles in the dailies says Chennai airport is soon going to see Phase II of expansion, after which it will be like Singapore's Changi airport. Another said that there will be a tunnel to connect the passenger and cargo terminals that are proposed in Phase II.  The third report said that the airport is attempting a 10-day trial of operating the cross runway in order to increase the…

On Bhogi, people discard old and derelict things and look for new things that signal change or transformation. At dawn, people light a bonfire with logs of wood, other combustible stuff  (mainly knick knacks that are no longer useful at home). We knew it was coming. The burning of random stuff in the name of tradition. The pollution on Bhogi day. The itching eyes, burning throat, breathlessness.. But it turned out to be much worse than last year. Probably because we actually have a winter this year. so cooler temperatures, combined with zero wind this morning, caused a dense impenetrable…

What do a 91 year 'young' activist, and a 40-something marine biologist have in common? A love for this city they call home, and a desire to help its citizens overcome their sense of helplessness in finding solutions to everyday civic problems.. Garbage not cleared? Road being relaid without milling? Storm water drains not cleaned before the monsoon? Electricity cables hanging dangerously in the open? In each of these situations, the solution is at hand. Help is often only a phone call away. But if we ask the average citizen on the road, the most common response will be  -…

I remember the day well. Several of us had received a Whatsapp message asking us to participate in a silent protest on Besant Nagar beach on February 26, 2017.  The message said the protest idea had been mooted by a group of women. I remember thinking to myself – Who are these women? Are they really going to do something? Maybe the message is a hoax... And I did not go. I wish I had gone to Besant Nagar beach that day. I would have witnessed the birth of an all-women initiative that calls itself VoiceOfPeople. No leader, no followers,…

So October 2 has come and gone. We duly remembered Mahatma Gandhi on his birthday, and went about our usual business. A few people also speak about cleanliness in our public spaces, since it is also "Swacch Bharat" Day. From this day, source segregation of waste will be mandatory in Chennai -  the city that generates the largest per capita amount of garbage in the country. The Greater Chennai Corporation has been reaching out to all the different categories of waste generators – residential, commercial and industrial- with suggestions, recommendations and guidelines. It is no doubt a great start, but…

A few days ago, I read on an online news website, that the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) was planning to make source segregation of waste mandatory for all residents, beginning October 2, 2017. If this was true, it was music to the ears of citizens like me – segregation maniacs that have been trying to get their family members, neighbours etc to segregate household waste at source – but with very limited success. Chennai reportedly generates the highest per capita garbage among the large metros in India – 750 gms per person per day, and we send about 5000 tons…

First  it was Madras Day, then Madras Week. And now some say it should be Madras Month. And if that were to be accepted, today would be the first day of Madras Month! Happy birthday month to namma Madras! It has been reasonably established that 22 August 1639 was the day Andrew Cogan and Francis Day of the East India Company, purchased the village of Madrasapattinam from Damarla Venkatapathy, Nayak of Vandavasi, owing allegiance to the Vijayanagara kings. First, a trading post was established at the site. In 1640 the foundations of Fort St George were laid, and the rest,…

His shy demeanour belies an extraordinary amount of compassion and resilience. Vignesh Mahadevan is all of 16 years old, and one of Chennai’s most passionate voices for the rights of birds and animals. Vignesh started feeding strays when he was seven years old. His first rescues were puppies that were stranded or separated from their mothers during the floods in Chennai in December 2015.  Slowly he started to rescue dogs as well. Only about 60% of the rescued dogs survive, often they have infections such as distemper and parvo (which may have prompted the owner to abandon the dog in…

What would a city dweller do if they saw a snake inside their house in the city? Chances are they would reach for a stick or a weapon to kill it. If you ever find yourself in that position, DON’T kill the snake.. It is a protected creature under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and killing or handling a snake is a punishable offence. If a nosy neighbor decided to take a picture of you with the snake, you are in double trouble! Chennai has its own share of human-snake encounters. In areas like Navalur on Old Mahabalipuram Road, Uthandi…