Articles by Shobana Radhakrishnan

Raja*, a 13-year-old boy, was protesting on the streets along with his mother and neighbours when their houses in Govindasamy Nagar were demolished by the government in May 2022. "The government disconnected the electricity supply to our houses for almost 10 days. We had our annual exams during this time and all the children in the area could not study at home. We tried studying under the street lights, but there were many mosquitoes. But, before our exams got over, the government demolished our houses," he says. Raja and other children in the area were forced to take to the…

Chennai has long been guilty of excluding marginalised communities from the scope of its flagship projects such as Singara Chennai. Explaining this historical marginalisation process, the Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), in its ‘Urban October Campaign’ says that historically, marginalised communities settled near water bodies in Chennai, as these were the only available lands that were neither in demand nor in possession of affluent communities. Forcibly dislocating marginalised and vulnerable families from their places of habitation to the city margins, without exploring possibilities of relocation near their existing sites of residence, is an act of…

The increasing instances of student suicides in Chennai have brought the need to discuss mental health of students, especially teenagers, to the fore. Given that the environment at home and at school has a major role to play in the mental health of students, a closer examination of what transpires in these spaces is essential. Saranya A, the founder of Arukah Counselling Service, speaks to Citizen Matters on the factors that affect the mental health of students and what can be done to create safe spaces for them. Saranya A, Counselling Psychologist Saranya holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology…

A year ago while I was looking into the spate of evictions in Chennai, I came across the heart-wrenching story of 115 families in Kannappar Thidal. Around 62 families, who were living on the streets near the Ripon building, were evicted in 2002 by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) as their presence was found to be an obstacle to the then-ongoing sporting events and developmental work in the nearby Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. These families were provided a temporary shelter in a building that was originally used to house load-men working in the nearby Southern Railways goods shed. They were promised…

For the past 13 years, the residents of Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) have awaited piped water connections from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). Owing to the topography of the area, they do not have access to alternative sources of water like groundwater. This makes many of the residents of OMR completely reliant on private water suppliers. However, with rising costs and frequent threats of strikes by private tankers, residents have begun exploring solutions that reduce their dependence on external water suppliers. To this end, Central Park East, an apartment complex in Sholinganallur, has come up with…

A study conducted by the Chennai-based NGO, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), on World Bank-financed housing projects in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu reveals that nearly four decades after the implementation of the project, a majority of the beneficiaries still await land titles and sale deeds that were promised to them. The study, titled 'Implementation of the World Bank-financed Housing Projects in Tamil Nadu and its Impact on the Deprived Urban Communities', has been compiled based on the existing information and updates available in various citizens’ reports and participatory assessments that were facilitated by IRCDUC…

"I was not someone who aspired to become a politician. My dad is the reason I am here now. He has been associated with politics and the Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for over two decades. However, I never felt like his involvement in politics was political. It felt more like social service. This made me more interested in politics and when I got the opportunity to contest in the urban local body polls, I went for it," says Nilavarasi Durairaj, the 24-year-old Councillor from Ward 136 in Chennai. Interestingly, Nilavarasi is a full-time MBA student. She balances her studies along…

Mohan*, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur, has piped water connection from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) and a borewell connection at his house. However, he has been unable to use both of these sources of water. This is because the groundwater levels are too low to draw water from the borewell and the piped water is mixed with sewage. Mohan has had to buy water from private water tankers in Chennai, regularly spending at least Rs 4,000 a month, to meet his family’s needs. Mohan is one of the many residents across the city reliant on the…

கருப்பான மற்றும் துர்நாற்றமான தேங்கி நிற்கும் நீர் - ஒரு காலத்தில் நகரின் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க நன்னீர் கால்வாய்களில் ஒன்றாக இருந்த மாம்பலம் கால்வாயைத் தேடிச் செல்லும்போது இதுவே காணப்படுகிறது.  நான்கு தசாப்தங்களுக்கு முன்பு இருந்த நுங்கம்பாக்கம் குளம் மற்றும் மாம்பலம் குளம் ஆகிய இரண்டு பெரிய தொட்டிகளில் இருந்து உபரி நீரை எடுத்துச் செல்லும் இந்த கால்வாய் அதன் உச்சக்கட்டத்தில் இருந்தது. நகரமயமாக்கல் காரணமாக, இந்த குளங்களின் நீர்ப்பிடிப்பு பகுதி முழுவதும் தற்போது குடியிருப்பு மற்றும் வணிக நிறுவனங்கள் உள்ளன.  அசல் கால்வாய் செல்லும் பாதை வள்ளுவர் கோட்டம் அருகே தொடங்கி தி நகர் மற்றும் சிஐடி நகர் வழியாக நந்தனம் கோல்ஃப் மைதானத்திற்கு அருகே அடையாறு ஆற்றில் வடிகால் செல்கிறது. மாம்பலம் கால்வாயை அதன் தோற்றம் முதல் இறுதி வரை கண்டறியும் முயற்சியில், அதன் சில பகுதிகளை மட்டுமே கண்டுபிடிக்க முடிந்தது.  கால்வாயின் பழைய படங்கள் அனைத்தும் உள்ளூர் மக்களின்…

As I climbed the stairs of the Velachery - Taramani link road Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at around 9 pm, I found myself in near total darkness as the FOB did not have any lights. The FOB has a roof on the top and sheets on the side, limiting light from the street entering it. Using the flashlight from my phone, I climbed further. Soon I found footsteps following me. A man was climbing the stairs behind me. Gripped by fear, I turned around, pretended to make a phone call and waited till he walked past me.  As I walked…