Regular Articles

• Vol. XXX No. 9, September 1-15, 2020

Our Readers Write

Master of Express Estates I read with great interest the article Master of Express Estates. As a sub-editor working with him from Nov. 1988 till end-1995, my image of him was more of a respected elder (he should have been well into his seventies then) than a journalist. Though he was seated behind a huge […]

• Vol. XXX No. 9, September 1-15, 2020

Lost Landmarks Of Chennai

SRIRAM V

The Theatre Just Off Mount Road Wellington Cinema! The very name conjures up a different era, of cinema’s early days and heydays. One of the older movie theatres of the city, it was also one of the first to fall victim to the wrecker’s hammer. A commercial complex of multiple colours and unsurpassed ugliness stands […]

• Vol. XXX No. 9, September 1-15, 2020

Quizzin’ with Ramanan

Quizmaster V.V. Ramanan’s first 10 questions are on current affairs and next 10 on Presidents and Prime Ministers of India. 1. What meteorological mark did Death Valley’s Furnace Creek in Southern California set recently? 2. Which tech giant recently became the first US-listed company, the second in the world, to reach a $2 trillion market […]

• Vol. XXX No. 8, August 16-31, 2020

Mega Plans for Mega Streets Project, with Outstation Architects

by The Editor

You have to hand it to our city’s Corporation. It is forever in the process of launching some mega scheme or the other. The last few years saw much noise over the Smart City initiatives and you had consultants literally popping out of every second building in the city. One of the most visible outcomes […]

• Vol. XXX No. 8, August 16-31, 2020

Schooling in the ‘New Normal’ – Part 2

by A Staff Correspondent

(Continued from last fortnight) When the lockdown descended on the city in March, Raju* felt the economic pinch immediately. An auto driver, he suddenly found himself without any patronage. With savings quickly dissolving to meet living expenses, he faced an unprecedented situation – he didn’t have enough in the kitty to pay his childrens’ school […]

• Vol. XXX No. 8, August 16-31, 2020

Heritage Watch

Where Governors once resided It was in 2008 that the High Court of Madras decreed that around 400 buildings of the city merited heritage status. A Heritage Conservation Committee was formed under the auspices of the CMDA and it was mandated to come out with an action plan to protect these structures. Bureaucracy managed to […]

• Vol. XXX No. 8, August 16-31, 2020

Short ’N’ Snappy

BY -(Wo)MMM

The strange lure of unhappiness and frustration The Woman from Madras Musings is beginning to think that, in general, people are more attracted to things that are ominous or frustrating than happy and pleasant. Take for instance, the Covid situation in Chennai. When matters were grim a month ago, with the rapid rise of infections […]

• Vol. XXX No. 8, August 16-31, 2020

Quizzin’ with Ramanan

Quizmaster V.V. Ramanan’s first 10 questions are on current affairs and next 10 on Bharat Ratna winners. 1. Which prominent European country is planning to issue a coin in honour of Mahatma Gandhi to mark his 150th birth anniversary? 2. The 75th anniversary of the deployment of ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’ was observed recently. […]

• Vol. XXX No. 8, August 16-31, 2020

Our Reader’s Write

The unsung heroes of Tennis Pratab Ramchand has rightly brought out the greatness of Leander Paes and his intimate tidings with Chennai, the then Madras (MM, July 16, 2020). He has bagged 54 ATP Tour doubles titles and 18 Grand Slam doubles titles, unmatched by anyone in Indian tennis. It is not an easy feat. […]

• Vol. XXX No. 7, August 1-15, 2020

Short ’N’ Snappy

By -MMM

Window Man & Shop Man Here today gone tomorrow is more or less the motto of the times. The Man from Madras Musings reflects on the number of people he knows who have fallen victim to the current pandemic and pays a silent tribute to them all. Yes, these are depressing times. You could almost […]