GENRE: Features

With a red and black shawl over her shoulders and a warm smile, Thamizhachi Thangapandian walks the streets of Medavakkam on Tuesday, April 2 2019. She initiates a friendly conversation with the women, tastes the Kara Kuzhambu in one of the houses and listens attentively to their  problems. She assures that she will transform the locality if elected to power. A writer, poet and academician, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) camdidate Thamizhachi Thangapandian is fighting her first Lok Sabha election from Chennai South. She is campaigning vigorously -- both online and offline; her Facebook page is filled with updates about her…

Chennai South Parliamentary constituency comprises six assembly constituencies: Mylapore, Saidapet, Virugambakkam, Velachery, Sholinganallur and Theagaraya Nagar. It is a diverse constituency, with many contrasts: it has high-profile localities such as Sholinganallur, the IT hub of the state and lower socio-economic localities such as Nochikuppam in Mylapore assembly constituency. A total of 40 candidates are contesting from various political parties and as independents from Chennai South. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected 27 applications for the constituency, while two of them withdrew after filing the nominations. According to the ECI website, the constituency has a total of 19,73315 voters:…

காட்சி 1: நாடாளுமன்றத் தேர்தல் பிரச்சாரத்தில் "ரோடு சரியில்ல ;குடிதண்ணீருக்கு வழியில்ல ;சாக்கடை அடைச்சிருக்கு ;போக்குவரத்து நெரிசல்;பள்ளிக்கூடம் சரியில்ல;மருத்துவமனை ஒழுங்கில்லை; குப்பைத்தொட்டி பிரச்னை, குப்பைமேடு பிரச்னை…”   நாடாளுமன்றத் தேர்தல் களத்தில்  இருக்கும் எல்லா வேட்பாளர்களை நோக்கியும் மக்கள் வீசும் பிரச்னைப் பட்டியல் இது. காட்சி 2:கல்லூரியில் ஜனநாயக விழிப்புணர்வு கருத்தரங்க நிகழ்ச்சி ஒன்றில் மாணவர்களை நோக்கிக் கேட்கிறேன் “நாடாளுமன்றத் தேர்தல் வருதே,இதுவரை உங்கள் பகுதியின் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினரின்(எம்.பி) செயல்பாடு எப்படி இருந்தது,இனிவரப்போகும் எம்.பி என்னென்ன செய்ய வேண்டும்?” "சார், கடுப்பா வருது. எம்.பி. எங்க ஏரியாப்பக்கமே வர்ல. வீட்ல இருந்து காலேஜ் போய்ட்டு வர்றதுக்கு பஸ் ரொம்பக் கம்மியா இருக்கு. கல்லூரி நேரத்திற்கு கூடுதல் பேருந்துகள் விடுங்கனு 4 வருஷமா கேட்கறோம். ஒன்னும் நடக்கல. இப்ப இருக்கற எம்.பி. வேஸ்ட். எங்க ஏரியாப் பிரச்னைய யார் தீர்த்துவைக்கப் போறாங்களோ அவங்களுக்குத்தான் இந்தமுறை ஓட்டுப்போடப் போகிறேன்” என்பது போன்ற பதில்கள் பல…

A first time Lok Sabha MP representing Chennai Central constituency, S R Vijaya Kumar is known for his impeccable record in Parliament. Chennai Central constituency consists of six assembly constituencies -- Villivakkam, Harbour, Egmore, Anna Nagar, Thousand Lights and Chepauk - Thiruvallikeni. S R Vijaya Kumar, 44 is an Advocate at the Madras High Court. He is an economics graduate from Kandaswamy Naidu College (1993-96). After completing a degree in Law from Dr Ambedkar Government Law College in 2001, Vijaya Kumar started practising at the Madras High Court.  In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Vijay Kumar (AIADMK) defeated Dayanidhi (DMK)…

In the narrow alleys of Pusta road in Khajuri Khas, near New Delhi’s Kashmiri Gate Metro station, a group of elderly people discuss the upcoming elections, standing near a rickety house not far from a pile of garbage disposed of by the locals. In these bylanes of Khajuri Khas, this is not an uncommon scene -- elderly, retired or unemployed people huddling together, discussing everything -- from neighbourhood issues to the government’s failures. As a reporter in search of a Mohalla Clinic, I approach one of them, Mohammad Ismail. Ismail is in his seventies and happy to talk. According to…

At Mamata Gharana, Bhubaneswar’s first community home for members of the transgender community, Madhuri Kinnar, 38, is happy that she and her mates -- over 70 others who stay here -- now have access to clean water in their own slum for consumption. “Over the last two decades, we have faced lots of problems in getting water. We had to go to Vani Vihar or Rasulgarh, both kilometres away from the Kinnar Basti (transgender slum) to collect water for our consumption and other daily uses,” Madhuri said, “You can imagine how difficult it is to fetch the entire amount of…

On World Water Day, conservation is the buzzword. The Internet is flooded with tips on how to conserve water and the need to focus on water as a scarce resource. Many resident welfare associations in Chennai are organising awareness sessions to educate people about water economics. But, ironically perhaps, World Water Day this year has come just a day after Holi, exposing the huge gaps in awareness and responsibility among many sections of the people, still. Just a day ago, the city celebrated Holi in a grand manner, but wasted gallons of water in the process, creating artificial rain. “The…

The iconic Chennai Photo Biennale is drawing to a close this weekend. The event that showcases the work of 50 artists from 13 countries across the world has seen yet another successful run and will end on March 24, 2019.  A myriad activities that were part of the schedule included film screenings, workshops, interaction with artists and skill training. This year's exhibition saw the opening up of the exquisite Senate House to the public through the efforts of the organisers. With the Biennale winding up, here is what you can catch in the next few days! Biennale roundup Guided tours…

Move over. I hear the flowers whispering to the colours with their mild scent wafting through the air, symbolizing a rather straitlaced demeanour - Holier than thou. After all our festivals are replete with symbolism and rituals. Holi, the festival of colours, is no exception, as it signifies greyish winter coming to an end, heralding vividly colourful spring with a burst of blooms of different hues. Typically Holi, as we know, is celebrated with dry or wet synthetic colours aided by water balloons and Pichkaris. But did you know traditionally the colours were made from flowers? ''Palash" or Flame of…

Ashwin, Samreen, Shimon and Prem were just a bunch of toddlers when their parents moved to Lallubhai Compound in Mankhurd, a rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) colony situated in Mumbai’s M-East ward. This ward has seen some of the lowest human development indices in the city and like most R&R settlements grappled with a range of social, economic and civic issues. Rampant drug abuse, sexual harrassment, high drop-out rates among children and other safety concerns were a regular feature and the residents, reeling under dire poverty, were too caught up in the struggle for day-to-day sustenance to actually address these issues…