EVENTS

"கூத்துக்கொட்டாய்" உயிரற்ற பிம்பங்களை, சினிமாவிலும் தொலைக்காட்சியிலும் பார்த்து பழகிவிட்டோம். உயிரோட்டத்துடன் நம் கண் முன்னே ஆடிப்பாடி நமக்கு புத்துயிர் ஊட்டும் 50 திறன்மிகு நாட்டுப்புற கலைஞர்கள் வரும் சனி ஞாயிறு சென்னைக்கு வருகிறார்கள். 4 மணி நேரம் 50 கலைஞர்கள் 55 வகையான மீட்டெடுக்கப்பட்ட தமிழர் கலைகள் ஒரே மேடையில்! குதூகலம் கொடுக்கும் அரிதான பழைய காலத்து விளையாட்டுக்கள். ஆட்டம்போட வைக்கும் நாட்டுப்புறப் பாடல்கள், மலைக்க வைக்கும் திறமையுடன்  வீதி நாடக வகைகள், பிரம்மிப்பூட்டும் நம் பாட்டன் காலத்து ஆட்டங்கள்! 'கூத்துக்கொட்டாய்' - இது நம் தமிழர்களின் செறிவூட்டும் பொழுது போக்கு! 'கூத்துக் கொட்டாய்' நிகழ்வை அளிக்க இருக்கும் கலைஞர்கள் சமீபத்தில் 120 கலைகளை ஒரே மேடையில் நிகழ்த்தி உலக சாதனை புரிந்தவர்கள். கலைமாமணி உள்ளிட்ட பல விருதுகளை மாநில அளவிலும் தேசிய அளவிலும் வாங்கியவர்கள். இதில் திரட்டப்படும் தொகை நலிந்த நாட்டுப்புற கலைஞர்கள் பிள்ளைகளின் கல்லூரி படிப்பிற்காக செலவிடப்படும். நிகழ்ச்சி…

"Celebrating four years of changemaking"- this is what my good friends at Namma Ooru Foundation (NOF) Called the event. So naturally I expected to hear stories of the journey, milestones, troubles encountered along, successes hard earned, etc. And of course I knew that I would be meeting many of Chennai's environment warriors. I was looking forward to it. It was all that, and more. I met several of the remarkable individuals that we keep reaching out to, both for our writings at Citizen Matters, and in our personal capacity, for guidance in our efforts to refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle.…

There was a lot of pomp about the Ridley run that was scheduled to take place on Sunday, February 17th, starting at Palavakkam beach. Save a Turtle group had mentioned on their website that the event aimed to create awareness about the endangered Olive ridley turtle population that come to nest along the Coromandel coast and educate local communities about the ways to protect the hatchlings. Citizens started registering for the event online, sand sculptors had given dates and things seemed to be set for the run. However, two days prior to the event, the organisers called off the run.  Locals…

What you see in the picture above is not just a classroom. This houses an entire school from first grade to seventh grade with 27 students right in the heart of Mysuru city. A few years back this government school had over 300 students. Since 2005 Pratham’s Annual Survey of Education reports (ASER) have been showing dreadful learning performance of our future generation every year. Every one knows that the emperor has no clothes, but we are not ready to implement the needed reforms. India's education sector, for all practical purposes, has collapsed. Ironically, at a time when we want…

Are incinerators and waste to energy plants the solution to the city's mounting landfills? How are tenders for solid waste management issued by the Corporation? Can informal waste workers be integrated into the waste ecosystem? These were some of the pressing concerns at the centre of deliberations at a public meeting for solid waste management and the way forward, organised by city-based think tank Citizen, consumer and civic Action Group (CAG). Harsh realities on ground Speakers at the meeting highlighted the invisible ground realities of waste management that the general public are oblivious to. M Radhakrishnan of social service organization…

A wooden toothbrush, an eco-nozzle that regulates water flow from the tap and detergents and bathing products prepared and packed by eco-friendly methods. If you are environmentally conscious and looking for options to lead a zero or minimum waste lifestyle, Namma Green Sandhai is where you want to be on March 2nd, between 3 pm and 7 pm. The sandhai is yet another community initiative by Namma Ooru Foundation (NOF), to encourage mid sized entrepreneurs dealing with environment-friendly, sustainable alternatives. NOF is organising the sandhai at Adyar Shastri Nagar Welfare Association Community Hall, as part of the organisation’s 4th anniversary…

The 17 dead in last week’s Karol Bagh fire in New Delhi are still being mourned. Families of victims who perished in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills fire are still grappling with the loss of their loved ones. So is every family that has lost one or more of its members to fires, that were avoidable. This February 23rd marks nine years since fire ripped through the Carlton Towers on Old Airport Road in Bengaluru, which claimed nine precious lives. As part of the ninth anniversary of the Carlton fire incident, Beyond Carlton - India's first citizen-led fire safety community, born out…

On a humid Sunday afternoon, two lads meddle with the coconut twigs and rat skins at the bund of Rajakilpakkam Lake, near Tambaram. The young boys, aged 3 years and 5 years, spend the afternoon playing with the skin of the rats caught by their father a day ago. Hailing from the Irular tribe whose occupation is to hunt snakes and rats, these kids make use of the leftovers from the catch. "I have never thought about giving my children toys. Even if I wish to, I can never afford it," says a 40-year-old Varadan A, the father. Just a…

The 9th Annual Eureka Run sponsored by CanFin Homes is scheduled for 5:45 AM on February 24th, at Elliot’s Beach, Chennai. The run is organized by Aid India, a non-profit working on improvements in learning quality of children in villages. Aid India uses the annual Eureka Run as a platform to create awareness about issues that plague the field of education and its impact on the lives of children in Tamil Nadu. In the 1083 remote villages that it works in, Aid India aims to boost children's confidence by building skills in Spoken English, Mental Maths and Science.  Its unique…

Over the Republic Day weekend, around 5000 Chennaiites flocked to an exhibition that showcased an art form that dates back to the days of the Indus Valley civilisation and is perhaps one of the oldest upcycling methods that has been traditionally and indigenously practised: Quilting. The first edition of the India Quilt Festival took place from 25- 27 January, 2019. The event, a pioneer in the space, featured competitions, stalls, workshops and lectures on quilting. Citizen Matters spoke to Varsha Sundararajan, one of the organisers of the fest. Does India have a special connection with quilting? India has a 4000-year-old…