ARTS and CULTURE Citizen Matters, Chennai

Will 2020 mark the beginning of a new cultural scene in Chennai?

December 30, 2020 V R Devika

The use of technology, novelty of formats, and the breaking of traditional customs and walls — Marghazi season in the year of COVID could be the portent of what’s to come.

Margazhi in the time of COVID-19: Here’s how you can enjoy the music

December 23, 2020 Aruna Natarajan

Online concerts, home-delivered canteen food – Chennai’s much-anticipated December concerts have changed significantly this year. How do artists and fans feel about it?

ஏழுமாத அடைப்புக்குப் பின் திறக்கப்பட்ட திரையரங்குகளின் நிலை? – ஒரு கண்ணோட்டம்

December 3, 2020 Vadivu Mahendran

ஏழு மாதங்களுக்கு பின் திறக்கப்பட்ட திரைஅரங்குகளிற்கு தற்பொழுது மக்கள் செல்கின்றனரா? கொரோனா ஊரடங்கு மற்றும் பொது இடைவேளை கட்டுப்பாடுகளால் திரையரங்குகள் எவ்வாறு பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன?

The journey of a brand inseparable from Chennai: Co-optex

October 7, 2020 Aishwarya Ram

Almost everyone in Chennai has a Co-optex experience to share. This is the tale of how the brand reinvented itself in recent times to emerge as the perennial favourite of all generations.

What connects ‘Naina’ and ‘KD’? The unique Madras Bashai

September 4, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

A common misconception about Madras bashai is that it is spoken only in one part of the city. However, the lingo has much to tell us about Chennai.

ஊரடங்கு காலத்தில் ஆன்லைன் பயன்பாடு தருவது வெறும் அயர்ச்சியா அல்லது மலர்ச்சியா ?

June 30, 2020 Vadivu Mahendran

கற்று வருகின்றனர். கலைகளை ஆன்லைனில் கற்பிக்கும் மையங்கள் மட்டுமல்லாது தனிநபர்களாக பல கலைஞர்களும் வாய்ப்பிடங்களை வழங்குகின்றனர்.

COVID-19 exposes the reality of junior Kollywood artists in Chennai

May 5, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Thousands of Kollywood artists are finding it difficult to even manage regular meals as COVID-19 has brought the entertainment sector to a standstill. But why don’t they have the support of the industry?

Photos: Can you guess what these sculptures have been made from?

December 21, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Tonnes of metal waste are being converted into beautiful pieces of art at the Government ITI, Guindy and Adyar zone of Chennai Corporation. These could also pave the way towards realisation of Chennai’s zero-waste goal.

How to turn a littered pathway into a playground: Kotturpuram children create an example

November 18, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

A week ago, the passageway near Block H of Kotturpuram Housing Board resembled a mini dump yard with bags full of domestic waste strewn all around. Today, it is a clean, colourful space, buzzing with kids and youngsters who have actually led this transformation.

World’s first Indo-Saracenic building, right here in Chennai, set to regain old glory

November 7, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Constructed by Nawab Muhammad Ali Wallajah in 1768, Humayun Mahal is said to be the first construction in the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. After years of neglect, this block of the Chepauk Palace is all set to be restored. Here’s more about the ongoing work.

In photos: A walk through the once-bustling, now deserted Moore market

October 22, 2019 Mahesh V

Moore Market was once a thriving book bazaar, particularly famous for second-hand books and frequented by large numbers of students. But a couple of hours in the market on a Monday morning shows how business has collapsed, thanks to the popularity of online bookstores.

Meet the mridangam makers of Mylapore

September 17, 2019 Ashna Butani/PARI

Jesudas and his son Edwin are skilled craftsmen, known in the Carnatic music universe of Chennai and elsewhere for the mridangams they give life to, though they still face occasional communal bias.

Celebrating the life and times of the man who knew infinity

August 28, 2019 Balakumar M

A peek inside the Ramanujan Museum, which houses intriguing artefacts and memorabilia from the life of one of the world’s most renowned mathematicians.

Celebrating Madras Day with fascinating facts about the city

August 27, 2019 R Sundararaman

Did you know Chennai had freezing temperatures in the summer of 1815 because of weather changes caused by a volcanic eruption in a distant land? A special quiz as part of continuing Madras week celebrations in Chennai throws up remarkable facts and trivia about the city.

Why celebrate Chennai?

August 12, 2019 V Sriram

As Madras Week draws closer, historian V Sriram talks of the various reasons to celebrate the city.