Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under R.N.I 53640/91
Vol. XXXIV No. 13, October 16-31, 2024
Archives: Vol. XXXIV No. 13, October 16-31, 2024
Race Club Takeover – the view from both sides
-- by Sriram V.
In the middle of September this year, the Government in a swift move took over around 148 acres of land it had leased to the Madras Race Club. The notice said that “after the careful consideration of the report of the District Collector and keeping in view of the overall requirement for land for public purposes, (the Government)… hereby take a decision to terminate the lease granted to Madras Race Club and resume the lands in entirety.” Whatever be the justification, the takeover was draconian to say the least, as the Club was given no warning. It must also be noted here that the lease has till 2046 to run its course. The Club has also denied that it rentals are in arrears. That said, horse racing, while it may be the sport of kings, also has a number of evils associated with it. There is therefore much to be said on both sides.
Racing in Madras is historic, for the first meet was held at the Island Grounds in 1780. Thereafter it shifted to Guindy, making it the oldest racecourse of India. The history of the sport here is not continuous, for there were breaks and it was only in 1887 that it revived to stay on. The Madras Race Club was founded in 1896 and Guindy became one of the important racing centres of India. Its heyday was undoubtedly during the Raj when it was part of that culture. Subsequent administrations have looked askance at it. The most famous disruption happened in 1973 when the then DMK Government
Chennai’s public pays the price for lessons unlearnt
-- by Varsha V.
The October 6 airshow at the Marina beach for the IAF’s 92nd anniversary celebrations has been a let-down for the public, for the lakhs of people that had gathered for the event were not accorded sufficient arrangements. Public transport services appear to have run as usual, with no additional capacities to account for the surge in passengers; buses as well as the MRTS and metro trains were filled to the brim from the very morning of the event, and the lack of feeder services made itself felt. The amenities at the venue also proved to be inadequate, as complaints emerged later of shortage of food, water and toilet facilities. However, it was after the event ended that deadly chaos broke out,
Heritage Watch: From Exchange to Mess to Museum
The Fort Museum is a structure of extraordinary resilience. Prior to the 1790s it was a private residence and then became the commodities exchange of the Fort. From the 19th century, with commerce moving out it became the regimental mess and then, post-Independence, the museum.
Dignity Foundation – for Elder Care with Dignity
-- by R.V. Rajan, rvrajan42@gmail.com
The Chennai Chapter of Dignity Foundation (DF) which celebrated its silver jubilee last year has been winning the Best Chapter award for four years in a row. I have been a member of DF for over 15 years, and I am very impressed with
The IAF Airshow, 2024
We present here some pictures of the recently concluded airshow at the Marina Beach. The event saw in action 72 fighter jets and helicopters, including Chetak, Rafale, Harvard, MIG and Jaguar aircrafts. Some of the manoeuvres on display were Pandian, Sarang, Mahabali, Suriya Kiran, Pallava, Cauvery, Kanchi, Nilgiris, Karthikeya, Dhanush, Marina and Chozha.
