Regular Articles

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Can the railways please highlight heritage while modernising?

-- by The Dy. Editor

Just as we at Madras Musings were rejoicing over the positive developments at Bharath Insurance Building (see Heritage Watch), there comes a blow by way of development plans at the Central Station as announced by the Indian Railways. While it must be acknowledged that the place needs to improve on all fronts by way of […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Event disaster raises the question of public accountability

-- by A Special Correspondent

“I don’t know how long it will take for me to get back into crowded spaces,” writes a Twitter user in an email to the organizers of a concert recently held at ECR’s Adityaram Palace Grounds. The event was a traumatic experience not only for her but for many other concertgoers; acute overcrowding at the […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Heritage Watch: Good News for Bharath Insurance Building

The future of Bharath Insurance Building suddenly seems to have brightened up. After mouldering away as a roofless shell for over a decade and practically given up as a lost cause by heritage activists, the structure is all set for restoration. This is probably the best gift that the city could have had during Madras […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Our Readers Write

A treat Greetings! Went through the latest issue of MM (though I haven’t read it completely yet). What with the abundance of colour pictures, the issue is a treat for those like me who are faithful subscribers and contributors! I believe celebrating Madras was conceived by the folks at MM – that makes it doubly […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 11, September 16-30, 2023

Short ‘N’ Snappy

– (Wo)MMM

There we go, but for the grace of god That was the phrase that sprang to the lips when The Woman from Madras Musings stumbled on a news report on the prevalence of frauds perpetrated on digital payment platforms. It was just last month or so that the Betternals had a close brush with a […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 10, September 1-15, 2023

Madras Week and the focus on heritage and branding

-- by The Dy. Editor

Yet another edition of Madras Week is coming to an end. From the variety of programmes offered, and the response received, it seems that the public have come to look forward to this event. The pandemic-related sluggishness has finally been shaken off and interest in all matters Madras revived to a great extent. Two aspects […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 10, September 1-15, 2023

Madras Week lectures, in a nutshell

-- by Lashman Premi, Sujata Tarakesan and Varsha V

The Madras Week lectures organised by Madras Musings saw many stories emerge from the community. From sports and photography to literature, cinema and business, this year’s Madras Week talks had it all and was attended by crowds that were both lively and appreciative. We thank those who joined us for the events and are providing […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 10, September 1-15, 2023

Heritage Watch: The Hindu – Hero of Madras Week

If there was a single entity that pulled out all stops in celebrating Madras Week this year, it was The Hindu. The grand old city icon was here, there, and everywhere. And it made a huge difference. There was to start with the 16-page supplement for Madras Day, which your deputy editor had the honour […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 9, August 16-31, 2023

Survey of North Chennai begins – But will it yield results?

-- by The Dy. Editor

The whole of North Chennai will be the subject of a survey to identify gaps in infrastructure. This is part of the Rs 1,000 crore Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam announced by the Chief Minister for the equitable development of the city. As many as 1,000 (some reports have it as 500) volunteers from city colleges […]

• Vol. XXXIII No. 9, August 16-31, 2023

Long Overdue: Civic policies governing the safety of heavy vehicles on city roads

-- by A Special Correspondent

On August 11, a freight lorry carrying sand was driving on GST road, making its way towards Tambaram. Rash driving caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle near the Potheri railway junction, knocking down two two-wheelers and endangering the pedestrians waiting to cross at the traffic light near the railway junction. Four persons […]