GENRE: Voices

The explosion of Covid-19 cases in China towards the end of 2022 and early 2023 reminded us, once again, that pandemics have a way of lingering and forcing themselves to the forefront of our consciousness. As public health policy experts have been saying for years, it is not a question of “if” but “when” the next pandemic (or a new and highly virulent variant of Covid-19) arrives. Since a future pandemic seems inevitable, we argue that the questions we should be asking are will we be able to respond effectively when the pandemic arrives and does effective response depend on…

Residents of Chennai face myriad issues on a daily basis right from bad roads, poor quality of water, power cuts, safety and connectivity. Fixing these issues requires a concerted effort on the part of residents, officials and elected representatives.  Residents have found ways to escalate problems in their vicinity and the larger city through collectives such as civic engagement groups, residents’ welfare associations and civil society organisations. A civic engagement roundtable organised by Citizen Matters brought together members of these groups who have been actively working for the betterment of the city. The discussion centred on understanding the key challenges…

With admissions going on in full swing, students all over the country are facing a massive ‘career conundrum’- what choice to make after Class12? It is no longer like the old times when engineering, medicine or law were the only choices. From filmmaking to data science, students have a wide array of choices. However, these very choices create a lot of confusion and pressure for young adults.  Parents pushing their child towards a more traditional path comes with its own pressures, and so does choosing a non conventional path. Consequently, many students battle stress and other mental health issues. On…

I have been living, eating, breathing, and sleeping plastics. And I am not saying this, as a campaigner or as an anti plastic advocate, or because I have been following the discussions of the #GlobalPlasticTreaty. I am saying this literally. “We all are”. The latest pointer to the all pervasiveness of plastic pollution being the discovery of  microplastics in human blood. There have been other studies that have shown plastic ingestion by fish and other marine mammals, by insects and birds, apart from studies that plastic is in our water and food.   So, how much more proof do we need? Do…

Chennai Mayor R Priya’s Makkalai Thedi Mayor scheme was launched in May this year. Under the scheme, the Mayor is to visit all 15 Zones of the city every 15 days to meet with residents and address their grievances.  The meeting that took place in Zone 6 highlighted some key issues with how the residents have been able to engage with the Mayor.  We spent over two hours waiting in various queues before the audience with the Mayor. The poor planning left us wondering if the event was indeed Makkalai Thedi Mayor or Mayorai Thedi Makkal. Read more: In a…

For two years, Usha Thopna’s day started at 5 am. After waking up, she would cook and clean for her new employers in Bengaluru - Mr. and Mrs. Vatsa. Barely an adult herself, she had to look after their child too, and do various chores demanded of her at their whim. During her 18-hour long work day, she would additionally have to face her employers' verbal and physical violence: she was beaten with cricket bats, injured by scissors to her neck, not given proper food, and burnt by the iron box.  Usha hails from a remote village in Tejpur, Assam.…

"Plastic found in the stomach of fish" read a recent, alarming headline. The increasing instance of such findings shows how the issue of marine litter poses a growing threat to marine biodiversity and the health of human beings, as marine litter in its various forms makes its way into the food chain. A study conducted by the Tamil Nadu government found that people living around 19 estuaries in the state, including those around Ennore Creek, Cooum and Adyar estuary, could be ingesting microplastics by including fish in their diet. A total of 23 polymers were identified across all the estuaries.…

I was randomly browsing through my Linkedin feeds when I came across a post on a seminar advocating for inclusion of waste workers in the city’s formal waste management system. Convened by a reputed institution, the seminar had its heart in the right place, but what made me cringe was the term used to describe the people in waste.  ‘Rag pickers’.  They simply got the language wrong.  What’s wrong, you may ask. We all use the term  ‘rag pickers’ to describe someone who makes their living out of waste  - and after all they do collect some rags.  Even the…

Many key players in the space of Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services (IT & ITES) in Chennai are located in OMR, Perungudi, Thoraipakkam, Navalur and Siruseri. Over the past few decades, the number of offices in the area has grown exponentially. With many jobs available, large apartment complexes began to be built to cater to the needs of the people. The population along the IT corridor now runs into lakhs. Unfortunately for the residents, the area is also home to the Perungudi dump yard, one of the city’s two dump yards. Much of the solid waste from all…

Residents of OMR have written to the Chief Minister calling for the removal of the toll gate at Navalur. Citing a promise made by the DMK prior to the elections, residents demand that the toll gate, which is close to the limits of the Greater Chennai Corporation be shut down with immediate effect. The residents, through the umbrella body FOMRRA (Federation of OMR Resident Associations), have made an appeal to this effect. The residents state that while four out of five toll gates have been shut down, the one at Navalur remains functional. FOMRRA has also requested the support of other…