An obstacle course called 'walking' in city

The safety of pedestrains and their right to road space is barely given priority as humans can squeeze through anywhere.

18 Jul 2016

Grow food, not lawns

Manicured lawns are passé. Using a technique called Permaculture, you can save about 60% of water and use kitchen waste to grow vegetables at home.The basic principle is to work with nature and imitating an ecosystem that you would find naturally. It can even be done on a balcony garden

25 Jun 2016

Let's play a game of Chennai planning

Video games about cities are loaded with details on land use, energy and carbon footprints — all issues faced by the global community.While popular simulation games allow you to build large virtual cities, some low-key online games, help people understand micro-level decisions

23 Jun 2016

Future pharma few clicks away

Apps like 1mg help a patient find out if alternatives, cheaper than the medicine prescribed by your doctor, are available on the market.There are also options to set reminders for appointments, book home-lab tests and order repeat doses of medicines

11 Jun 2016

Tank full of troubles for water bodies

Apart from preserving the environment, temple tanks offer an effective flood control measure in city While cultural and social events are linked, the water bodies recharge ground water in their localities

07 Jun 2016

Storytelling via interactive video?

19 May 2016

Have we failed to keep the elderly happy?

No matter how independent and efficient some senior citizens want to be they face common issues.

12 May 2016

Old age isn't necessarily a happy holiday

Dr Natarajan who was one of the country’s earliest geriatric specialists, has been advocating for elder care facilities.

12 May 2016

Life as you Know is not the Same for the Disabled

Most ground floor houses have at least one step to climb, a hurdle that the couple has learnt to live with.

02 May 2016

Domestic Workers Too Need Contracts and Hikes

For a large section of the unorganised workforce, four walls of a house is what is work, with no rules and contracts.

28 Apr 2016

Take a Smartphone Sabbatical

City folks are now so hooked to smartphones that they wake up and fall asleep using their devices and cannot disengage even in the bathroom.

16 Apr 2016

Women Craft A Better Pulicat

For local women, weaving palm leaf baskets is a traditional craft and it is brought to the cityscape by an NGO.

02 Apr 2016

Green Building? Go the Local Way

Architects say that international building standards don\'t take into account factors like local climate.To go green, one should avoid practices like using a lot of glass and then cooling the building with air conditioning

28 Mar 2016

Throwing Light on India's Lighthouses

A 77-year-old man has travelled 11,000 km across India\'s coastline and documented his visits to 121 lighthouses He travels by road and doesn\'t use GPS, relying on directions from locals and road signs

26 Mar 2016

Maternity Leave,Wishful Thinking?

Many women in the unorganised sectors or in contract work are still dependant on their immediate employer for social security benefits like the ESI.Though firms are duty-bound to offer maternity benefits, smaller agencies are difficult to monitor, and have staff who are unaware of their rights

21 Mar 2016

Let Kids Know They are Adopted

Meet Saras and her adopted daughter Varsha, two counselling psychologists who share their personal experiences with people .Adoption need not be a secret that is dramatically revealed to the child at a certain age. It has to be dealt with honesty

15 Mar 2016

Who Said Girl Babies are Not Adopted?

For the past three years, around 60% of all children adopted have been girls.The number of girl babies abandoned still far exceeds the number of boys but in urban areas people are warming up to adoption

14 Mar 2016

'Safety Cannot Stunt Women's Career Growth'

Companies are now exploring technology-based ways to ensure safety of their women employees when they go back home However, one section feels that it is the responsibility of the city and police to ensure women safety on public transport

05 Mar 2016

SAND Cares for Dementia Caregivers

SAND cafe opens its doors once a month for Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers, with snacks cooked by children with special needs.

02 Mar 2016

Blurry Work-life Divide

France may soon pass a law that gives employees the right to disconnect from work when they’re home. Would this be feasible in the Indian context? Chennaiites have different opinions.

27 Feb 2016