GENRE: In Focus

It was a heartrending sight. People sat or stood in groups watching their belongings being moved into lorries from the houses they had occupied for generations. The houses were being destroyed before their eyes, one by one. On Monday, November 20th, residents of the Thideer Nagar Slum on Greams Road had to vacate their houses under orders of the Corporation, the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) and the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT). They are among the 603 odd families being moved to TNSCB’s new shelter at Perumbakkam as part of the Cooum River Eco-restoration Project. The TNSCB has…

Running as a sport has caught on in a big way in Indian cities with the creation of runners’ groups, sharing of resources and at least one eponymous race hosted by every big city. Now, with the temperatures having dropped in most parts of the country, running fever is at a high. Bengaluru just hosted the 10K intencity run and earlier in November, the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon saw a great response despite the initial uncertainty caused by the alarming levels of pollution in the capital region. In an earlier article, we discussed how air quality, though traditionally not a…

The standard of roads in Chennai city is something that the common citizen is all too familiar with. Newly laid roads last a year at the most, after which some patch work has to be undertaken. Otherwise, a total relay is called for within 2 to 3 years, by which time the whole road surface is battered badly. Thus the lifecycle of a road in Chennai usually stretches from one monsoon to the next. World standards indicate asphalt roads last anywhere around seven years; why, then, are roads in Chennai of significantly lower quality, needing constant repair and frequent relay?…

It’s been close to two years since the first 20 cities were selected under the much talked-about Smart Cities Mission (SCM) of the Government of India, but progress under the mission has been slow. Let us just look at the top five cities. Selected in January 2016, these cities - Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surat and Kochi - are supposed to complete the proposed projects under the SCM by 2021-22. But most of these cities appear to be lagging behind schedule, both in terms of the number of projects completed as well as the works under progress. Surat leads, with works…

Rainwater Harvesting (RWH), an effective solution for flooding and water scarcity, is collapsing in the state that pioneered this conservation model in the country. RWH structures have a nominal presence in many households in Chennai, but rarely ever follow the guidelines that advise harvesting water from the rooftop as well as setback area (around the building). A Rainwater Harvesting Audit carried out by the Akash Ganga Trust for the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority in 2015 exposed the reality of rainwater harvesting in the city and it’s not something we can be proud of. A majority of households lack RWH structures…

Rarely ever would runners anywhere have looked forward to rain as fervently as in the Indian capital over the second week of November. In fact, runners across the country preparing to run the popular Airtel Delhi Half Marathon at the end of the week knew that it was only rain that could save the marquee event that many consider among their most favourite races in the country. In the end the rain gods did oblige, so that on November 19th, thousands of runners participated in the half marathon on what was perhaps the least polluted day in the city in…

சமீப காலமாக நாம் அதிகம் எதிர்கொள்ளும் காதல் நிராகரிப்பு கொலைகள் ஆண் சமுதாயத்தின் மீதான நம்பிக்கையையே புரட்டிப் போடுவதாக உள்ளது. இது போன்ற நிகழ்வுகள் அதிக அளவில் நடக்க என்ன காரணம் என்று உங்களின் பலரைப் போலவே எங்களுக்குள்ளும் ஆதங்கம் மேலோங்கியது. இது போன்ற நிலைமை அமைவதை பற்றியும், எதிர்கொள்வது பற்றியும் பிரபல மனநல நிபுணரிடமும், முண்ணணி திரைப்பட இயக்குனரிடமும் அறிந்து கொள்ள முற்பட்டோம். நம் உடலில் ஏற்படும் வலிக்கு எவ்வாறு நம் மூளை செயல்படுகிறதோ அதே போன்று தான் நிராகரிப்பு ஏற்படும் பொழுது செயல்படுகிறது எனக் கூறுகிறார் பிரபல மனநல வல்லுநர் மினி ராவ். ஆனால் உடல் வலியை மறப்பது போல் எளிதில் நிராகரிப்பு ஏற்படுத்தும் வலியை மறக்க இயலாது. அந்த உணர்ச்சி வடுக்கள் நீண்ட நேரம் ஆழப் பதிந்திருக்கும். இதுவே சுய மரியாதை, தன்னம்பிக்கை ஆகியவற்றை கேள்விக்குறியாக்கும். எதிர்கொள்வது எப்படி? சாதுவான பெண் முதல் நம்மிடம் மிகவும் நட்பாக…

She has been making news for walking across the length of the country to draw focus on the sexual violence against women. But 30-year-old Srishti Bakshi has not been spared the harrassment that has become so common in a woman’s life that it is the new normal. “There have been times when a few people stop to take selfies and get a little too close to comfort. They don’t even realise it is wrong and that it’s making somebody uncomfortable.” says the lady who has already walked more than 40 cities and towns since she started her journey earlier this…

It was a Herculean task for John Jesudason, Chief Executive Officer of Creative Huddle, a startup digital advertising agency, to build his business while also taking care of the nitty gritty of office administration. He was left with no time for the real work, after supervising the housekeeping and management of office amenities in his own office space. But since the time that he switched to a co-working space called The Executive Zone on Anna Salai, with his four-member team, he has been able to focus singlemindedly on growing his business. Co-working spaces are slowly catching up in Chennai, providing…

Metro rail projects are fast progressing in many Indian cities, and more are to come. They have been projected as the best solution to cities reeling under traffic jams. Currently eight cities have metro rails, covering a span of about 370 kms. The longest line of 217 kms is in Delhi, and next comes Bangalore at about 42 kms. In these and five other cities, 537 kms of additional metro lines are being constructed. Even more is in the planning stage. This also means huge public spending, as metro projects require investments of thousands of crores. Yet, many studies have…