Regular Articles

• Vol. XXXIV No. 7, July 16-31, 2024

Yet another Government-run Museum in city – with no creative plans for making it relevant

-- by Sriram V.

The State Government has announced that Humayun Mahal, part of historic Chepauk Palace, will soon be converted into Independence Day Museum. It will house memorabilia from the freedom struggle, donated by families of various patriots. It will have besides, a gallery for women freedom fighters and one more which will be an interactive site for […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 7, July 16-31, 2024

More loss of green cover: Chennai District Green Committee approves NHAI Port-Maduravoyal Expressway project

-- by Varsha V.

The Chennai District Green Committee has approved an application from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to fell roughly 2,200 trees under the scope of its Chennai Port-Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway project. According to media reports, the project will ease the movement of heavy motor vehicles along the route – the current detour runs to […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 7, July 16-31, 2024

Heritage Watch: Another landmark to vanish

Jammi Buildings has changed hands and is slated for demolition. Associated with Jammi’s Liver Cure which saved the lives of several infants from the 1930s till the 1970s, it was a landmark in the Mylapore-Royapettah area. It was in every way a tribute to the vision of its founder Jammi Venkataramanayya. Constructed in 1951, Jammi […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 7, July 16-31, 2024

Lost Landmarks of Chennai

-- by Sriram V

The Esplanade(s) of Madras The Esplanade today is a short stretch of road going south from NSC Bose Road and ending at the intersection of Sir T. Muthuswami Aiyar and North Fort Roads. It is architecturally a magnificent mile for it has the Raja Annamalai Manram, the South India Chamber of Commerce Building, Madras (now […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 7, July 16-31, 2024

Short ‘N’ Snappy

– MMM

Madras Week is here again It seems as though the previous edition of Madras Week just got over. The Man from Madras Musings is yet to recover from it anyway though if you ask him as to what exactly happened then, it is all a blur. And before MMM knows it, here we are again […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 7, July 16-31, 2024

Our Readers Write

Pondicherry, the film Galatta Kalyanam and the IITF 1968 I wanted to see Galatta Kalyanam when a TV Channel was showing it two days ago because Sivaji Ganesan and Jayalalithaa were in the lead with a host of actors like Manorama, Cho and others. There was a beautiful song in the film shot at the […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 6, July 1-15, 2024

A severe skill/requirement/attitude mismatch? The Govt. seems to be having an HR problem on its hands

-- by Sriram V.

Headlines of the last few weeks seem to indicate that there is a severe manpower issue as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned. On the one hand there is a shortage of people, skilled and otherwise. And on the other we seem to have wasted resources who could be more gainfully employed. We allude to […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 6, July 1-15, 2024

Study underlines need for city to tackle the Urban Heat Island Effect

-- by Varsha V.

A change in Chennai’s land-use pattern is driving the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, says a study Urbanisation Impacts on Heat Island Intensification: Cooling Strategies for Coastal Cities by the Center of Climate Change and Disaster Management at Anna University. Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) emerge when a city experiences temperatures much higher than its rural […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 6, July 1-15, 2024

Heritage Watch: A Farewell to Kuralagam?

Last fortnight’s article on the proposed 21-storey building to be constructed at Broadway Bus Stand apparently ruffled a few feathers for we got a brusque message on social media that the structure will now be only eight floors which in our view is still bad enough. We hope that whatever is planned, and whatever be […]

• Vol. XXXIV No. 6, July 1-15, 2024

Short ‘N’ Snappy

– WoMM

Madras Vignettes: Of Tailors, Tennis Players and Trees The Tailor The Woman from Madras Musings is often asked, as women are, about her tailor. This is by no means a tribute to WoMM’s sense of fashion; experience suggests that most women are perpetually in search of a better tailor for some reason or the other. […]