Articles by Savitha Ganesh

Ever wondered what happens at public consultations for major government projects across Chennai? “Usually at these hearings, they want to show that they have taken the consent from a wide array of people; from well-off residents to a few fishermen. But when we are given a chance to speak, it is only in terms of ‘yes or no'," says Velayudam, a fisherman who had attended a public consultation on the construction of stormwater drains in East Coast Road. Velayudam wanted to speak about how such a project negatively affects the lives of fishing communities living in Sholinganallur. He was of…

Yuvan Aves is a nature-educator, naturalist, writer and activist based in Chennai. He is the Founder-Trustee of Palluyir Trust for Nature education and Research, and along with his team of young naturalists, conducts a number of immersive learning experiences for children and young adults. These include walks and workshops in various geographies and biodiversity areas in Chennai. This type of teaching and learning has been termed as ‘nature based learning (NBL)’, which Yuvan explains, is a self guided, real world learning experience. Yuvan's team makes a range of NBL material and curricula for Chennai schools to apply. In an interview…

“People are guarded around us, they keep a distance. They say the men from our area are drug dealers, they do ganja, and they drink and murder people in their stupor. Even very many autos do not come into our neighbourhood. Media reports have spoken of us, as killers and drug addicts”, said Velankanni, a resident of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar in Pulianthope. Long-standing stigma around Pulianthope has marked residents as innate criminals, worsened this neglect, and created a narrative that these are 'undeserving and dangerous' citizens of the city.  Reputation that hurts residents Pulianthope has developed a reputation for…

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of many public services and establishments over the past few years. Chennai's many public libraries were also among those institutions that have been affected by these changes. However, with the return of readers, there are some promising signs. Even as many libraries continue to suffer infrastructural neglect, determined staff and loyal patrons have kept the city's reading culture afloat even in the face of new challenges. There seems to be a sustained culture of visiting libraries in the city despite roadblocks. Pic: Aruna Natrajan Public libraries after COVID-19 hit In March 2020, when the first…

Ormes Road resident Dr Muralidharan was in for a rude shock when he tried to leave his home to attend to a medical emergency. The area outside his home had been dug up by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, leaving him no way to get his vehicle out quickly. Road digging in the locality that lasted for weeks had resulted in roads not being repaired and relaid. This has been the reality of many residents across Chennai as works by various agencies for stormwater drains, underground cables, water and sewage pipelines are being laid, relaid or repaired.  Road digging issues…

Eight-year-old Dhrona has keen interest in music. Unlike many of his peers, he does not attend a traditional school. His parents have chosen to nurture his talent by enrolling him in music theory classes and keyboard classes under the ABRSM board which comes under the Royal School of Music. He is one of many children in Chennai taking to homeschooling and unschooling for various reasons The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape of schooling considerably. With consecutive lockdowns, school closures, a larger push to digitise various aspects of learning, new forms of education have started gaining popularity. Homeschooling allows for an…

Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) across Chennai have taken on various issues in their neighbourhood over the past few decades. While many of them work in a prescriptive role on matters such as beautification and waste management, in some instances over the recent years, they have expanded their scope of operations and stepped up to meet the needs of residents. One such example is that of RWAs getting involved in creating viable livelihoods and securing education and job opportunities for those in need in their neighbourhood.  The Pulianthope Welfare Assembly, previously known as the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Welfare Association, has…

With the recently concluded elections, Chennai has  local body representatives for the first time in six years. While much has changed in the past few years, avenues for engagement of Chennaiites with the local government has remained limited. Could this scenario change with the election of the ward councillors? How can residents be involved in local governance and demand accountability from their local representatives? Citizen Matters hosted a webinar with a diverse panel on the ways in which Chennaiites can track the work of their ward councillors and the avenues available for their participation. The panel comprised M Radhakrishnan of…

The revival and restoration of eris in Chennai has long captured the imagination of city authorities and residents, with these tanks often rightly lauded as an important solution to the flooding problem that has terrorised the city in the past few years. However, a recent paper titled "Lines in the Mud”, authored by Karen Coelho of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), points out how eri restoration efforts have become sites of social tragedy, as a result of the almost exclusive focus on removal of encroachments. They result in the brutal eviction of thousands of working class families that…

Translated by Sandhya Raju மார்ச் 18 அன்று தமிழக நிதித் துறை அமைச்சர், பழனிவேல் தியாகராஜன் 2022-23 ஆண்டுக்கான மாநில பட்ஜட்டை சட்டமன்றத்தில் தாக்கல் செய்தார். நிலையான சுற்றுச்சூழல், போக்குவரத்து இணைப்பு அதிகரித்தல், தமிழ் கற்றலை மேம்படுத்தல், சேவை அணுகலில் கவனம் செலுத்துதல் ஆகியவை முக்கிய இடம் பெற்றன. போக்குவரத்து நெரிசலை கட்டுப்படுத்துவது, நெடுஞ்சாலை விரிவாக்கம், வெள்ளத் தடுப்பு, பேரிடர் தயார்நிலை, பருவ நிலை மாற்றம், நகரத்தின் பசுமை போர்வையை அதிகரித்தல் ஆகியவை சென்னைக்கான ஒதுக்கீட்டில் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளன. தமிழக நிதித்துறை அமைச்சர் பிடிஆர் தியாகராஜன். படம்: Wikimedia Commons by Avenuesmadurai Read more: Sustainability needs a people-centric approach; is smart city Chennai geared to that? போக்குவரத்து நகருக்கு உள்ளேயும் வெளியேயும் பயணிக்கும் சாலைகளில் அதிகரித்து வரும் போக்குவரத்து நெரிசலைக் குறைக்க பட்ஜெட்டில் பல முன்முயற்சிகள் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளன. சாலை விரிவாக்கம், உயர்த்தப்பட்ட காரிடார் மற்றும் கிரேடு…