Featured Articles

• Vol. XXXIII No. 22, March 1-15, 2024

City Beautiful then, Singara Chennai now

On Dec 3, 1968, the then Mayor of Madras, Velur Narayanan, addressed the Rotary Club of Madras. We reproduce here the report of the event, courtesy Lighthouse, the weekly bulletin of the Rotary Club of Madras. We leave it to our readers to gauge whether civic conditions have changed (or not) in the city. – […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 22, March 1-15, 2024

Going Walkabout in Madras

-- by T.K. Srinivas Chari

It all began with a walk from Thiruvanmiyur to Besant Nagar along the beach shores in early-mid 2023. A year later, we’re hoping that that beginning – which has taken us all over town and more – will one day take us trekking in the Himalayas. A tall order, yes… but what the heck, one lives […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 22, March 1-15, 2024

An ode to the Dressing Table

-- by Sabita Radhakrishna

I grew up with the concept of a dressing table. A bedroom was not complete unless it had a dressing table with drawers and a long mirror. If the bedroom was too small to accommodate this invaluable piece of furniture, the dressing table occupied another room attached to the main bedroom which we called dressing […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 22, March 1-15, 2024

The Blackboard: A space for expression and exploration

-- by Priyanka Soman

Priyanka Soman is an educator who has inherited her passion for teaching children from her mother, a teacher herself. She has ten years of experience working with children in Junior, Middle, and Senior School and has been working at The School, KFI, for the past seven years. Priyanka has a strong affinity for Krishnamurti’s teachings, […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 22, March 1-15, 2024

Sport in Old Madras

– Extracted from The Nabobs of Madras by Henry Dodwell, 1926

Any time you want to get a good laugh out of the antics of the British in Madras, Dodwell is the answer. Here he is, holding forth on what constituted sport in 17th and 18th century Madras. – The Editor In a country where Englishmen had horses, there was naturally hunting, though it were after […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 22, March 1-15, 2024

Chennai Challenger underscores the need for more international-level competitions in the sport

-- by V. Venkataramana

That Chennai, nay Tamil Nadu, is seen as the cradle of Indian tennis is common knowledge: from R. Krishnan and the Amritraj brothers Vijay and Anand to Ramesh Krishnan (R. Krishnan’s son), the city has brought the best of Indian tennis to the world stage. Among the country’s first female talent in the sport, Lakshmi […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 22, March 1-15, 2024

Tracing Madras

– Ar. Aafreen Fathima S.K. (Ninetyeight.madras)

Today we immerse ourselves in the captivating narrative of Higginbothams on Anna Salai (Mount Road), a cherished sanctuary for book lovers. Founded by Abel Joshua Higginbotham, its tranquil structure adorned with white and brown hues is steeped in centuries of memories. Abel’s maritime ventures failed to yield fortune but a stint managing a shop selling the […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 21, February 16-29, 2024

Park in Bloom: The Semmozhi Poonga Flower Show

-- Pictures by William Satish

Thrown open to the public on February 10, the Semmozhi Poonga flower show is the talk of town. Reported to comprise over 12 lakh plants, the park is a riot of colours from ­marigolds, roses, ­tulips, chrysanthemums and more in bloom. WilLiam Satish snapped a few pictures of the stunning topiary on display. Visitors can […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 21, February 16-29, 2024

Flower Shows at the Agri-Horticultural Society

-- by Sriram V

Semmozhi Poonga, located on Cathedral Road hosted a flower show last week. Events of this kind have become increasingly rare in our city but there was a time when the annual flower show was much looked forward to. It was of course best associated with the Corporation, which took over the hosting of it from […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 21, February 16-29, 2024

Navigating the Chennai Book Fair 2024

-- by S. Lashman

A celebration of diversity and pluralistic reading by BAPASI The 47th edition of the Chennai Book Fair took place at YMCA grounds, Nandanam, from January 3rd to the 21st. Organised by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), the expansive fair, boasting 915 bookstalls this year, was inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. […]