EDITORS' PICK

Chennai has an abundant wealth of water bodies, big and small. Small ponds in neighbourhoods help recharge ground water. Lakes attract many life forms and have an ecosystem of their own. Temple tanks have been around for centuries and help in water conservation. However, the entire network of water bodies that have been the source of life for the city has come under attack from rampant encroachment and various forms of pollution over the years. The floods of 2015 and the drought faced by the city in 2019 are proof of the mismanagement of water in the city and the…

Jyoti Aware, a municipal school teacher came to Mumbai in 2009 and since then has been staying in a rented house in Mumbai's northern suburb of Kandivali with her husband and two pre-teen children. Two years back, she purchased a house in Mira Road, a suburb outside Mumbai for Rs 30 lakh, since that was the only place where she could afford a house. However, she could not shift to the new house for that would increase her commute time four times, besides making it difficult for her children to continue in the same school. "The new house is far,…

Jyoti Aware, a municipal school teacher came to Mumbai in 2009 and since then has been staying in a rented house in Mumbai's northern suburb of Kandivali with her husband and two pre-teen children. Two years back, she purchased a house in Mira Road, a suburb outside Mumbai for Rs 30 lakh, since that was the only place where she could afford a house. However, she could not shift to the new house for that would increase her commute time four times, besides making it difficult for her children to continue in the same school. "The new house is far,…

“Chennai Airport incurred a loss of Rs 4 crore last financial year due to a multitude of reasons,” said C V Deepak, General Manager, Finance and the former Officiating Airport Director, Airport Authority of India (AAI), Chennai International Airport. In this exclusive interview, C V Deepak talks about ways to make the airport profitable and about crucial infrastructure projects such as multi-level parking, construction of a new terminal and the second airport.  Where do we stand in regard to the construction of the second airport? There have been media reports about the government zeroing on a site at Parandur in…

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…

Splashes of water welcome you when you enter the rather silent Conran Smith Nagar, Purasaiwakkam. Follow the sharp whiff of detergent, and you will reach the grounds of the traditional washer community, who have been in the profession for over a century. As I enter the narrow lanes of the Dhobi Khana Housing Board, frothy streams of water  trickling down lead me to the maze of flogging stones with three compartments, blue drums and paraphernalia. It is only 5.10 am, but the men, women and children are already up for the day and will work till 1 pm. They make their…

Atithi Devo Bhava – the guest is God! While it is cited ad nauseam in both academic and popular conversations on Indian culture, never does the concept become as real and palpable as when important heads of state visit us. Cities are decked up like a bride on her wedding day; streets get cleaned, riverfronts along the route are beautified, walls and facades are decorated with paintings depicting the culture of the two countries…and so on. We have seen it in Varanasi ahead of the 2015 meet between Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi, or when the French President…

“Voice of Freedom.” That is how Kajal Singh describes her relationship with graffiti art. The 24-year-old from Delhi who goes by the name Dizy is currently in Berlin and has built for herself an international reputation as a woman graffiti artist. She was first introduced to the art through the Hip-hop culture which embodies graffiti as one of its elements. “Being a shy person, graffiti became my voice of expression,” said Dizy. “It also allowed me to go beyond the stereotypes set for women in society”. With its origins in the early 1960s in Philadelphia, graffiti art began when writers…

“Voice of Freedom.” That is how Kajal Singh describes her relationship with graffiti art. The 24-year-old from Delhi who goes by the name Dizy is currently in Berlin and has built for herself an international reputation as a woman graffiti artist. She was first introduced to the art through the Hip-hop culture which embodies graffiti as one of its elements. “Being a shy person, graffiti became my voice of expression,” said Dizy. “It also allowed me to go beyond the stereotypes set for women in society”. With its origins in the early 1960s in Philadelphia, graffiti art began when writers…

Translated by Sandhya Raju 2019-ம் ஆண்டில் ஏற்பட்ட கடுமையான தண்ணீர் பிரச்சனையை தொடர்ந்து சென்னை பெருநகர  குடிநீர் மற்றும் கழிவுநீர் வாரியம் (CMWSSB) சில இலக்குகளை வெளியிட்டுள்ளது. இது நிறைவேறினால் நம் நகரம் தண்ணீர் பாதுகாப்பு உறுதி பெறும். இது வரை முற்றிலும் தண்ணீர் வசதி பெறாத பகுதிகளுக்கும் , போதிய அளவு தண்ணீர் பெறாமல் இருந்த பகுதிகளுக்கும் இந்த ஆண்டு குடிநீர் வாரியம் தனது சேவையை அளிக்க உள்ளது. இதனுடன் கீழ்கண்ட முயற்சிகளையும் முன்னெடுக்க உள்ளது: 1. கழிவு நீர் மறுசுழற்சி நகரத்தில் அதிகரித்து வரும் தண்ணீர் தேவையை பூர்த்தி செய்ய, கழிவுநீர் சுத்திகரிப்பு நிலையங்களை அதிகரிக்க குடிநீர் வாரியம் திட்டமிட்டுள்ளது. கொடுங்கையூர் மற்றும் கோயம்பேட்டில், ரிவர்ஸ் ஆஸ்மோசிஸ் சுழற்சி முறையில் இரண்டு சுத்திகரிப்பு நிலையங்கள் தற்போது உள்ளன. இவை தலா 45 mld அளவு நீரை தருகின்றன. அருகில் உள்ள தொழிற்சாலைகளுக்கு இந்த நீர் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகின்றன. இதன்…