City: Chennai

It has suffered decades of neglect: languishing in dilapidated condition for years and later ravaged by fire. But, Humayun Mahal in Chepauk, the world’s first-ever building constructed in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, is now slated for a new lease of life.  The long, creaking sound of walls being drilled into echo across the construction site on a mid-October Friday morning. Scraping the plastering off a wall in the interior of the building, B Raju, a 49-year-old worker wipes the sweat off his face. “We are following the same traditional methods followed to construct the building over 240 years ago,”…

Following the tragic demise of a two-year-old who fell into an unused borewell on October 29th, efforts are underway to document and secure open wells and borewells. To this end, the Metro Water department has called for all Chennai residents to register their open wells and borewells with the authority by November 10th. The exercise, which was announced on November 1st, is also a way for Metro Water to enumerate the number of functioning borewells in the city, for which up-to-date information is not available. How to register your borewell and open well If you are a resident of Chennai…

A smoke-filled Chennai yet again this Diwali Though there have been contrasting reports from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), by all accounts, air quality levels post Diwali were poor. Pollution levels at several locations in the city went up on Deepavali, with concentrations of PM2.5 crossing 400 micrograms/cubic metre at Manali, Velachery and Alandur. However, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB) data from five locations shows a completing contrasting picture. The city Corporation collected a total of 22.58 tonnes of cracker waste on Saturday and Sunday across all 15 zones, of…

Chennai saw 543 registered cases of dengue till October, the highest across all districts in Tamil Nadu in this calendar year. The civic body has promised to undertake more preventive measures such as fumigation and conduct awareness drives to educate citizens on dos and don’ts, to arrest the spread of dengue. Citizens in their individual capacity can be prepared to prevent the spread of the disease by undertaking certain preemptive measures.  Here are a few key pointers from the Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital on how dengue spreads, the symptoms, course of treatment and what you can do to avoid…

Pondy Bazaar in Chennai has always been and will remain an evergreen destination. Visitors to the buzzing area can now look forward to new ways of experiencing it, thanks to the 'Pedestrian Plaza' project that prioritises pedestrians, especially children, the elderly and other vulnerable users. The Pedestrian Plaza is bound to attract more locals and foreigners, boost the economy and above all, enhance the identity of this shopping hub. This is the first infographic-based blog of a four-part series on how the Pedestrian Plaza project has transformed Thyagaraya Nagar. (Conceptualised and Designed by Kawin Kumaran, Aishwarya Soni; Content created by…

The story of Ennore is neither new nor untold. However, there is a need to retell it, only because justice seems to be slipping further and further away. The dual onslaught of unplanned industrialisation and deforestation has taken away an important constitutional right from Ennore residents -- the right to life.  Both public and private sector industries have been drastically exploiting the natural resources of Ennore since 1993. Who suffers the consequences? The residents in eight villages of Ennore, for whom clean air and unpolluted water has become an unattainable luxury.  As the locality suffers the consequences of industrialisation in…

On a scalding hot afternoon, a petite, dainty woman stands at a small shop in R A Puram, counting the change she has to return to her customers. Her bangles clink as she swiftly wraps some eggs and then hands it over to the customer along with the change. With her saree pallu tied at her hip, she toils to the sound made by the jangling of her armlets. “I had sold bangles like these to buy this shop. They were made of gold. It has been 10 years now, but I don’t regret it,” says Ponnarasi, recalling times past.…

Translated by Sandhya Raju இதோ தீபாவாளி பண்டிகை வந்துவிட்டது. மேடு பள்ளங்கள், போகுவரத்து நிறைந்த சென்னை வீதிகளில் இப்பொழுது வண்ண விளக்குகள் மின்னுகின்றன. தெரு முனைகளில் பட்டாசு கடைகள், துணிகடைகளில் கூட்டம், புது படங்கள், கோயில்களில் சிறப்பு பூஜைகள் என பண்டிகை களைகட்ட துவங்கியுள்ளது.  தீபாவளி பண்டிகையை முன்னதாகவே சிலர் வரவேற்க துவங்கியுள்ளதில், ஆங்காங்கே லக்ஷ்மி வெடி சத்தமும் கேட்கத் துவங்கியுள்ளது. இந்த வெடிச் சத்தம் இன்னும் அதிகமாகும் என்பதில் ஐயப்பாடில்லை. இந்த உற்சாகம் அனைவரையும் தொற்றிக் கொள்ளுமா என்றால் சந்தேகமே, அதற்கு முக்கிய காரணம் - சத்தம்.  பட்டாசுகள் எழுப்பும் காதைப் பிளக்கும் சத்தம்,  ஒலிப்பெருக்கிகள் ஆகியவை மூத்த குடிமக்கள், கர்ப்பிணிகள், குழந்தைகள் மற்றும் பிராணிகள் இடையே பீதியை கிளப்புகிறது. கடந்த ஆண்டுகளில், இந்த பட்டாச்சு சத்தத்தால், நிறைய வளர்ப்பு பிராணிகள் தங்களின் இருப்பிடத்தை விட்டு ஒடியுள்ளது. 2017 ஆம் ஆண்டில், மடிப்பாக்கத்தில் வீதியில் பற்ற வைக்கப்பட்ட பட்டாசால்…

Travel at half cost on Chennai Metro on Sundays and holidays Chennai Metro is doing all it takes to woo commuters and especially so, to increase patronage during weekends. Starting this Diwali weekend, Chennai Metro is planning to offer 50% off on travel cost during Sundays and public holidays. While the number of people travelling through Chennai Metro Rail system during the weekdays ranges from 1.15 to 1.18 lakh, on Sundays, there is a considerable dip in ridership to about 50,000-60,000. This has prompted CMRL to take the decision on the discount. Source: The Hindu City's subways, flyovers to get…

Deepavali is here. The traffic-congested, pothole-filled streets of Chennai are covered in decorations: string lights adorn the cracker shops, fancy numbers from Kollywood and continuous chants from temples add to the festive fervour. Shopping season is in full swing and firecracker stalls are popping up at street corners. The sounds of the occasional Lakshmi vedi have already begun to startle unwitting passers by as some have begun their celebrations well in advance. In the coming days, the decibels from these crackers will intensify.  However, not all can enjoy the festivities and look forward to Diwali celebrations at the peak with…