GENRE: Features

Sandy beaches are a prominent feature along the 7500 km coastline that envelopes either side of peninsular India. These are dynamic zones that support coastal communities as well as marine and terrestrial life forms. Could these local communities play an active role in monitoring the shoreline, creating a knowledge base and eventually, a baseline for appropriate action towards disaster risk reduction as well as recreation of a healthy coastline? This will be the focus of 'A Tide Turns' -- an interactive and exploratory event organised by SNEHA and LAW Trust of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, the volunteers of Karaikal and Cuddalore…

That it is the most happening arts festival in the city of Chennai is like stating the obvious. Even the name is different -- it doesn't have 'sabha' as the suffix or 'Sri' as the prefix, not to mention the very ordinary multitude of volunteers who have come together for this extraordinary performing arts festival. With myriad art forms, performed in many open and public spaces, the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha has come of age. This year, not only is the Vizha happening in the Urur Olcott Kuppam Beach, it has also travelled to other locations. The open spaces of Thiruvalluvar Nagar…

The increasing emphasis by the government on the Aadhaar framework as the basis of a developing social security net for the citizen makes it ever more relevant and important to have. Despite Supreme Court rulings to the contrary, the Central and several state governments have made Aadhaar mandatory for citizens to avail a range of services and to get benefits of various government schemes. Even the Union Budget presented by Arun Jaitley on February 1st indicated an obvious push for Aadhaar, with recommendations for various facilities linked to the unique identification number. Yet, the ordinary citizen continues to have privacy…

67250… 7328…. Are they mere numbers? No, they are the number of people involved in road accidents in Tamil Nadu and Chennai respectively in the year 2015. With timed traffic lights that are mostly in working condition, police personnel at the signals and an efficient emergency management system, Chennai’s roads appear safe. But statistics tell a different tale. As per NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data, Tamil Nadu records the highest number of road accidents; among 53 Indian cities studied, Chennai topped the list, accounting for 11.9% of total road accidents – a fact that the city cannot be proud…

“I would always get into fights with my mother, about having separate bins for waste segregation, switching off lights and all those things.” Prateek Agarwal has been passionate about the environment for as long as he can remember. That passion has manifested itself in his current venture. Together with Subham Agarwala and Siddhant Khetan, Prateek co-founded “Green Strips,” an initiative which aims to replace plastic bags with paper bags, subsidised through advertisements placed on the latter. The twenty-year old likes designing and travelling, and pines for the Delhi food he left behind when he went to study in Kolkata. But…

It was not a special day in Chennai. Yet, scores of people were seen running towards  Marina Beach. Not for a leisurely walk, but to stand up for a cause that has been bothering Tamil Nadu, and particularly its rural community, for some years now. Since 2004, Pongal in Tamil Nadu has been marred by controversy over a custom that is inseparable from the observance of the festival in the state. In other states, Pongal is primarily a festival of farmers and the Sun god, but in the rural southern areas of Tamil Nadu, it has been inextricably linked with…

What is Lalbagh flower show? Every year in January and August, a flower show is organised in Lalbagh, the majestic central park in Bengaluru, to celebrate Republic Day and Independence Day. In addition to the thematic display of flowers across the garden, this time the Glass House has been decked up with a floral replica of Gol Gumbaz, the largest dome in India, a monument built by Adil Shah, the erstwhile king of Bijapur. Four lakh roses in four colours would be used for this. There are also dozens of stands with artisan crafts, spices, coffee, books, purses, scarves, seeds,…

On January 8th 2017, over 4500 people from across Bengaluru visited Kaikondrahalli Lake to connect with their friends, community and nature. Lake festival, or Kere Habba, is a completely volunteer-organised event aimed at raising awareness, increasing community participation and fostering an appreciation of lakes in Bengaluru. Kaikondrahalli celebrated its third lake festival on January 8th, 2017. A bird living in the Kakondrahalli lake premises. Pic: Shree D N Over a hundred students from Renuka school situated on the banks of the lake, involved themselves in many activities; they organised a Halli Games session, to teach visitors how to play traditional…

Most borewells along Sarjapura Road do not yield much water. A new apartment opposite Kaikondrahalli Kere is also struggling for water as their borewells run dry. The builder decides to revive an old  open well in his property. The well is  18ft in diameter and 40ft deep and has been fully closed with mud. Pedanna the well digger is called in. Alongwith his team Pedanna excavates all the 40ft of mud manually. They strike water at about 20ft below ground level. The water has to be pumped out as they continue to dig. The well is now completely excavated and…

D for December. D for disaster. Two years in a row, the last month of the year has brought a Doomsday-like experience for Tamil Nadu. While the ravages of the 2015 floods remain unmatched, in 2016, Cyclone Vardah left behind its own trail of destruction, which the city is still trying to cope with. The city came to a standstill for 4-5 days without electricity and water supply to many areas, and it took all the resilience and spirit of Chennaiites to get it back on its feet. As the cyclone passed, one fact became increasingly evident: the biggest brunt…