CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday permitted music director Anirudhs concert to be held on East Coast Road in Chengalpattu district on Saturday but issued a stern warning to the police regarding enforcement of conditions imposed on the event. Justice N Anand Venkatesh, after hearing a petition filed by VCK MLA M Babu, representing the Cheyyur Assembly constituency, cautioned that all the conditions imposed for issuing permission by the police have to be strictly followed; and if anything u

CHENNAI: The state government has decided to convert the entire 118 acres of land retrieved from the Madras Race Club (MRC) into a waterbody, a move aimed at boosting flood mitigation and groundwater recharge in south Chennai. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary N Muruganandam on August 19, attended by senior officials from the Department of Horticulture, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, the Greater Chennai Corporation, and the Water Resources Department

CHENNAI: A 61-year-old priest was allegedly drugged and robbed of his jewellery by a Rapido bike taxi rider and his accomplice at MGR Nagar, police said on Thursday. According to the police Anil Kumar of Seethalai Sattanar Street, had hired a Rapido service on August 8 to attend a function in Kelambakkam. The driver, identified as David Ilavarasan (24) of Ayanavaram, later began contacting the priest frequently, citing financial distress and seeking help. The police said that two days ago, Ilava

CHENNAI: In three separate incidents, Chennai Customs seized almost 12 kg of hydroponic weed worth Rs 12 crore and 11.6 kg of shark fins from passengers at the citys international airport, an official release on Thursday said. In two cases detected early on Thursday morning, customs officers seized 3,966 gm and 7.896 gm hydroponic weed respectively from the check-in luggage of two passengers who arrived from Thailand on the Thai Airways TG 337 flight. The contraband was concealed in vacuum-seale

CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has achieved the first tunnel breakthrough on Corridor-5, marking a major step in the citys expanding metro network. The Tunnel Boring Machine Kurinji, on Thursday, completed a 246-metre drive from the Kolathur ramp to the north shaft of Kolathur station. The drive, which began in February, was completed under unusually difficult conditions: A minimal soil overburden of just 1.8 metres, a steep 3.8% gradient and the need for ground protection under the

CHENNAI: After years of waiting, commuters along the congested Radha Nagar-GST Road stretch can expect relief soon, with the long-pending railway subway at LC-27 in Chromepet set to open in the first week of September. The level crossing at Radha Nagar, used daily by over one lakh commuters, has been a traffic choke point for decades. Each time the gates close, vehicles are seen parked nose to tail on Radha Nagar Main Road and GST Road, causing long delays and accidents. The new subway, official

CHENNAI: Wimco Nagar in North Chennai is being recast as a transport hub, with Indian Railways, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) and the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) working on plans to integrate suburban, regional and urban mobility at a single node. At Wimco Nagar, Indian Railways has proposed to extend suburban platforms to 550 metres, enabling express and mail trains - including services bound for Kolkata and other eastern destinations - to halt there. The plan is ex

Some months ago, feeling like I was at a dead-end, I did something I thought I would never do: I turned to AI, specifically to ChatGPT, and asked it a painful existential question. I had an actual therapist, and an offline support system, and still I grasped for something like an answer, if not a solution. To my surprise, a response came that was so poetic, so beautiful, so full of not only meaning but perhaps even explanation, that not only did my tears dry, but I saved the lines, to return to

Chennai has a beautiful ritual, where we revel in its heritage and history through walks. This concept becomes a mainstay during the Madras Week. With the city that we call Namma Ooru with pride turning a year older, organisers talk about how they plan these walks for history and heritage enthusiasts, their efforts to keep them fresh while revisiting the same areas, and why exploring them from different perspectives can add to the experience. Ramaswamy N (HR professional, runs the ChennaiDailyPh

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned the state government on whether it can encroach upon a waterbody land to construct a police station by flouting its own law, instead of protecting such waterbodies. The first bench of chief justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and justice Sunder Mohan raised the question while hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by Arappor Iyakkam against the construction of the Semmancherry police station at Sholinganallur. When it was submitted

CHENNAI: The Union of IT & ITES Employees (UNITE) held a protest in Chennai city on Tuesday against Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) reported decision to lay off 12,000 of its mid and senior level employees. Members of the organisation said that freshers are hired at 80%-85% lesser pay to replace experienced employees. TCS is in the process of laying off staff at senior and managerial levels. At the end of this, nearly 30,000 to 40,000 staff may lose their jobs, said Janani of UNITE. Demanding to

CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail has commenced safety certification trials on Phase 2, covering the stretch from Poonamallee Bypass to Porur Junction, marking a step closer to launching passenger services on the western corridor. The tests, which began on August 16, are being conducted on the elevated stretch between Poonamallee Bypass and Porur Junction, part of Stage 1A of the 118.9-km Phase 2 expansion. The Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the technical arm of the Ministry of Ra

CHENNAI: A fire broke out in a private apartment complex at MRC Nagar, Pattinapakkam, on Monday evening. No injuries were reported, police sources said. According to fire and rescue personnel, smoke and flames were noticed on the fifth floor of the building. Residents immediately alerted the control room, following which eight fire tenders, including two skylift vehicles, rushed to the spot. More than 100 fire and rescue personnel were deployed to douse off the flame. Three persons trapped insid

A quiet city, with blue strips of beaches lying at the heart of it, free roads punctuated with sights of a few sprinting wheels and occasional thuds of carriages. The aroma of piping hot coffee fills the streets, known and unknown, as the cityscape is interspersed with the contours of time-worn heritage buildings. While holding on to the pride in diversity, our city has also bestowed each visitor with a sense of belonging, a home they could call their own. Is the essence of Madras layered under

At golden hour, the sky at Thiruvidanthai Beach along the East Coast Road (ECR) turned into a canvas of colour, sound, and culture as the Tamil Nadu International Kite Festival (TNIKF) soared high. For Benedict Savio, founder of TNIKF, the vision goes far beyond a weekend of entertainment. The whole idea is to make this festival a globally iconic event happening in Chennai. Taking flight for the fourth time, this celebration positioned itself as a family-based tourism. Benedict says, We are tryi

Chennai doesnt just eat food from elsewhere it rewrites it in its own script. Walk through the city and youll see it everywhere: the North Indian green-chutney sandwich getting a new avatar with the introduction of our murukku , making them murukku sandwiches. Their chaat stalls bending to the local tongue as kara boondhi sneaks in, and suddenly, a Delhi snack has taken a ride on the Marina breeze. Even the metallic rhythm of kothu parotta on hot iron an adaptation of Sri Lankas kothu roti ma

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has authorised preparatory works worth Rs 2,442 crore for a proposed 21.76km metro rail corridor between Koyambedu and Pattabhiram, signalling intent to push ahead even before the Union government clears the project. The sanction covers land acquisition, budgeted at Rs 2,204 crore, along with utility shifting, surveys, tree replanting and traffic management. Chennai Metro Rail Ltd has been permitted to begin mapping and diversion plans in anticipation of central approval. Com

CHENNAI: An SETC bus lost control and rammed into pedestrians and a private bus near Raattinam Kinaru junction in Chengalpattu on Monday, killing a government doctor and injuring at least 17 others, including passengers and bystanders. The incident occurred around 8.30 am when the bus, reportedly coming from Kalpakkam, allegedly suffered a brake failure near a flyover there. A probe is under way to ascertain what went exactly wrong in the government bus. According to the Chengalpattu Town police

CHENNAI: To curb the practice of students travelling on the footboard of buses during peak hours, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) on Monday launched 25 buses dedicated for school students. Students will be allowed to travel free of cost on these special services. The buses will leave their respective depots between 6.50 am and 8.05 am, stopping at designated points before reaching schools. In the afternoon, return trips will operate between 1.50 pm and 4.10 pm. Each bus will make 50

CHENNAI: The new traffic diversions, implemented due to the construction of a flyover at Eldams Road and Thyagaraya Road junction along Anna Salai, caused confusion among motorists and pedestrians on Monday morning, the first working day after the diversions were put in place. Motorists complained of lack of adequate signs regarding the new routes and the narrow roads. A traffic jam which began along Thyagaraya Road caused stagnation till Nandanam, in which ambulances and a fire engine too were

CHENNAI: Two men died after a car rammed the bike taxi they were riding and sped away without stopping early Monday morning near Chromepet. The deceased have been identified as Balraj (48) from Athipattu in Tiruvallur, the bike taxi rider, and Balamurugan (22) from Tiruppur. While Balamurugan died on the spot, Balraj succumbed to his injuries at a hospital a few hours later. Sources at Chromepet Traffic Investigation Wing said the accident occurred around 2.40 am near a temple near Tambaram Sana

Lemongrass and Citronella are so much more than an afterthought in herbal teas or the odd Thai curry. Its every landscapers secret fencing superstar and a medicinal marvel hiding in plain sight. But are they same or different? Citronella has a red or magenta base, grows much taller (up to 6 feet!), and has wider leaves than lemongrass. Lemongrass sports a plain green base, tops off at about 2 feet, and is the chefs favorite for its gentle lemon scent and flavour. What are they best for? Citronel

Nostalgia offers the most comforting escape from the tech-driven, fast-paced lives we have today. That thread of emotions is what we hold onto tightly because it reminds us of home, safety, and love. This has become a more than significant part of the spaces we design today, and appropriately so. The undeniably captivating charm of vintage and retro is what is causing it to gush back into vogue. We are now seeing everyone being drawn to spaces that are not just serving functions but also those t

Todays mirrors dont just flatter or tattle on wicked queens. They tell stories, bend space, and, with a flicker of light, pull a Beauty and the Beast trick turning a cramped corridor into a ballroom. From the shiny volcanic glass in ancient Anatolia 8,000 years ago, to the silver-backed showpieces of Egypt and Mesopotamia, mirrors have dazzled for a millennium. They have been symbols of life, glimpses of the soul, tools for fortune-telling, and magnets for superstition. Artists from Drer to Mag

CHENNAI: A biker had a narrow escape on Sunday afternoon after the Karukku Main Road near Ambattur suddenly caved in, plunging him and the bike into the crater on Sunday afternoon. Saravanan, the biker, was pulled out with minor injuries by passersby who immediately came to his aid. Police sources stated that the man owned a medical shop in the neighbourhood. The rear wheels of a lorry passing on the stretch also got stuck in the pit. Traffic remained largely unaffected as it was a weekend, even

CHENNAI: As the extended three-day weekend drew to a close, there was heavy vehicular movement and bottlenecks at multiple points as hundreds of residents who had travelled to their hometown or tourist destinations outside Chennai began returning on Sunday evening. Key stretches that witnessed congestion included Perungalathur near Tambaram, and Padalam and Pukkathurai close to Chengalpattu. Intermittent rainfall in and around Tambaram added to the traffic woes. According to sources, traffic slo

CHENNAI: A man was hospitalised after he got electrocuted while withdrawing cash from an ATM in Kancheepuram on Saturday. The police said the electrocution was caused by low-voltage leakage and was not life-threatening. The victim, Venkatesan (35) of Kammala Street, had gone to the vegetable market near Kancheepuram railway station with his eight-year-old son in the morning. When he needed money, he entered a ATM kiosk near the head post office on Railway Station Road. As he keyed in his PIN, he

The design patterns of nature have a strong recurring structure associated with subtle elements that are both destructive as well as elevating. These formless elements control the ocean currents, climate, and also include volcanic bursts and earthquakes. Since the body is made of the same elements, imagine its scope and impact within. While the fundamental physical, mathematical, and chemical properties of these elements that can be observed have been applied to engineering and design principles

Art often escapes the boundaries of the traditional canvas. Light painting in photography captures fleeting trails of brightness in the air, while graffiti and street murals transform urban walls into open-air galleries. Some artists turn spaces into immersive, site-specific works, tattoo artists use skin as their medium, and even culinary artists create edible compositions meant to be admired before they are consumed. But we rarely think of those whose work lights up our streets with creativity

Boothavakam , the fearsome tale of Bakasurans destruction, frozen in mid-moment, stood in one corner. A few steps away, children giggled as they pointed at Krishna, his cheeks and little palms smeared with butter, caught in the act of stealing from clay pots. In another corner, the Rasleela unfolded in a swirl of colour and music. The exhibition at Geeta Bhavan in Gopalapuram brimmed with many functional displays snapshots of epics brought to life. From Sitas marriage to Rama and Arjunas weddin

CHENNAI: One of Indias leading nuclear safety experts, Dr L V Krishnan, has passed away at the age of 88. Dr Krishnan was instrumental in setting up the Safety Research Laboratory at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam, supporting Indias Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) programme. He retired as the Director of the Safety Research Laboratory in 1997. As Director, he introduced the Emergency Preparedness Plan for Kalpakkam, conducting drills that later served as a model for DAE fac

CHENNAI: A 30-year-old doctor working at a central government hospital in the city, S Jothishwari, died by suicide in Perungalathur on Friday evening. According to the police, she had married Yutheeshwaran (32), a software engineer from Ramanathapuram district, 10 months ago. The couple, who initially lived in a rented house in Kodambakkam, allegedly quarrelled often due to personal differences, police said. For the past three months, Yutheeshwaran had been living separately in his hometown, lea

CHENNAI: A 25-year-old man, who allegedly tried to kill himself in front of a 13-year-old girl for refusing to marry him, has been admitted to a hospital. According to police, Selvam, a native of Tiruvannamalai, was employed as a painter and had known the girl, who was studying in a government school, for the past one year. On Friday, Selvam barged into the girls house in Pallavaram when her parents were also there. He woke up the girl who was sleeping and forced her to marry him, saying he was

CHENNAI: The delay in replacing overhead power lines with underground cables in flood-prone parts of south Chennai has left its residents exposed to the risk of electrocution apart from erratic power cuts during the monsoon. Under the World Bank-funded Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Programme, Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has been converting overhead cables into underground cables in Chennai, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam to ensure peoples safety during natural calami

CHENNAI: Marking the 79th Independence Day, the Greater Chennai Corporation, Southern Railways, and the citys ports held flag-hoisting ceremonies on Friday. GCC Mayor R Priya hoisted the national flag at Ripon Building, and awarded certificates, medals to 171 corporation employees for their exemplary contribution. Letters of Appreciation were given to three companies for the highest property tax payments and to three property owners for timely payments. Southern Railway General Manager RN Singh

CHENNAI: As part of the ongoing construction of a flyover along Anna Salai, the traffic will be diverted from Sunday. Vehicles coming from Saidapet in Anna Salai and heading towards Anna Flyover have to take a left turn at Anna Salai X Eldams Road junction and proceed towards Thiyagaraya road - Ma.Po.Si. junction - North Boag road (Right turn) - Vijayaraghava road junction - Vijayaraghava road (Right turn) to reach Anna Salai. Vehicles coming from Anna Salai and proceeding towards T Nagar have t

CHENNAI: Commuting through Teynampet in the morning peak-hour traffic has always been a challenge, and the recent developments have made the task even more arduous. Three factors have compounded the congestion - more barricades placed on the stretch from Anna Salai to KB Dasan Road for the flyover construction, incomplete drainage work on Eldams Road, and stormwater drain repairs in Alwarpet - with MTC buses and heavy vehicles diverted to service roads, the added load on the flyover has resulted

CHENNAI: The Tambaram City Municipal Corporation (TCMC) on Thursday launched a mass vaccination campaign to immunise 1,62,749 children aged between one and 15 years against Japanese Encephalitis (JE), a mosquito-borne viral disease that can cause severe brain inflammation, high fever and, in extreme cases, death or permanent neurological damage. The drive is part of the state governments decision to expand the JE vaccination programme to seven additional districts, including Tambaram in Chengalp

CHENNAI: More than five lakh people travelled from Chennai to various parts of Tamil Nadu on government buses between Wednesday and Friday, ahead of the weekend and extended holidays. According to officials from the state transport department, between Wednesday and 3 am on Friday, 3.13 lakh commuters travelled from Chennai on 5,780 buses, including 1,596 special services. On Friday alone, around 1.6 lakh people travelled from KCBT, Madhavaram, and CMBT, said an official. To meet the surge in dem

CHENNAI: One worker died and another was injured during a preliminary load test on a metro structure near Sholinganallur's ELCOT IT Park after a rope holding a slider beam snapped. According to T Archunan, Chennai Metro Rails Director for Projects, the structure had initially withstood its full design load without issues. However, when engineers increased the load by 25%a standard practice to assess safety marginsthe equipment failed. The rope holding the slider beam gave way, causing it to slip

CHENNAI: Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has awarded a Rs 8.1 crore contract to construct a skywalk linking the Phase-I Vadapalani Metro station with the similarly named Phase-II station in the same area. The project, to be executed by Kousic & Co, is scheduled for completion within four months. Once operational, the fare-controlled walkway will allow commuters to move directly between the two stations without exiting and re-entering ticketed areas - eliminating the need for additional fares o

CHENNAI: Around 50 passengers jumped off a suburban train that had been halted for 30 minutes between Basin Bridge and Chennai Central suburban terminus on Thursday and ran along the railway tracks to catch the Coimbatore-bound Vande Bharat Express. They said they faced severe hardship as suburban services were delayed by 30-40 minutes in the stretch between Basin Bridge and Chennai Central. The disruption was caused due to three platforms at Chennai suburban station being used for stable empty

CHENNAI: In another case of an accident due to stray cattle, a 22-year-old law student was killed and his classmate injured after their motorcycle skidded when a stray cow darted across the VandalurMinjur Outer Ring Road near Poonamallee on Monday evening. According to the Avadi Traffic Investigation Wing (TIW) police, the victim, Sonu Brian of Thiruninravur, was riding pillion on a bike driven by his friend Praveen (23) from Avadi. Both were students at a private law college in Velappanchavadi

CHENNAI: Advocate Nilavumozhi Senthamarai and law student Valarmathi, who have been supporting sanitation workers protesting against privatisation of solid waste management near Ripon Building since August 1, alleged on Thursday that they were assaulted by the police after the midnight crackdown to evict the protesters from the spot. While Valarmathi, was detained along with other workers, Nilavumozhi, in her video that was live streamed on Thursday morning, said she was detained when she went t

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Police since Thursday late afternoon released nearly 1,000 conservancy workers, a few lawyers and activists, who were forcefully evicted from near Ripon Building where the workers had been protesting since August 1 against privatisation of solid waste management in two zones of Greater Chennai Corporation. They were detained in multiple places marriage halls and community halls in Keezhkattalai, Nandambakkam, Adambakkam, Saidapet, Velachery, Maduvankarai, St Thomas

CHENNAI: Holding a prima facie view that the detention of four lawyers and two law students, in connection with the strike of the sanitation workers of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), is illegal, the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered the immediate release of all of them with certain conditions. A division bench of justices MS Ramesh and V Lakshminarayanan passed the orders after hearing the urgent habeas corpus petitions (HCPs). We are of the prima facie view that the detention of 4 Lawye

CHENNAI: Hours before sanitation workers protesting outside Ripon Buildings were evicted on Wednesday night, the Madras High Court ordered the State government to remove them for occupying roads and pavements without permission. The first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan, disposing of a PIL by D Thenmozhi, held that while the workers right to peaceful protest cannot be denied, demonstrations must be held at designated venues with proper authorisation. Th

CHENNAI: As part of security arrangements for the 79th Independence Day celebrations, 9,100 police personnel will be deployed across Chennai on August 15. A five-tier security cover will be in place at Fort St George, where the Chief Minister will hoist the national flag and deliver his address. Additional deployment will be stationed at the airport, railway stations, bus termini, metro stations, malls, beaches, places of worship, and other key spots, with intensified checks and surveillance. Po

She wore the same outfit every day a pink T-shirt, orange shorts, yellow socks, white trainers and a purple backpack that somehow held everything from a ladder to maracas. At seven years old, Dora Mrquez, with her wide brown eyes and neatly bobbed hair with bangs, trekked through forests, forded rivers, crossed wobbly bridges and climbed mountains. All in the company of her chirpy sidekick Boots, a monkey in bright red boots. When she first bounded onto television screens in 2000, she wasnt jus

For centuries, Indian mythologies have celebrated kings, warriors, and sages in grand narratives, while womens stories have remained brief and marginalised often relegated to mere footnotes. Exploring this marginal space and turning it into the main narrative, author Srilata K lends a voice to some of the lesser-known and spoken-about women in the Mahabharata in her latest poetry collection titled Footnotes to the Mahabharata. In this candid interview, she reflects on her creative process, choi