Chennai| Guindy Children’s Park opens two cafes serving South Indian staples, and continental favourites

Chennai| Guindy Children’s Park opens two cafes serving South Indian staples, and continental favourites

Zoo Cafe | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement At the new Zoo Cafe in Guindy Children’s Park, the biggest question is, will the monkeys steal our vadais? Raj Thiru, CEO of the cafe laughs, “We’ve seen quite a few monkeys make their way here. But our diners are seated inside so their food is safe.” The […]

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Madras Art Weekend 2024: Explore this art and design showcase in Chennai

Madras Art Weekend 2024: Explore this art and design showcase in Chennai

It is not often that a white cube, its silence and solemnity broken only by colour and canvas on walls, gets inundated. Last week, the precursor show of the upcoming contemporary art festival Madras Art Weekend that highlighted over 60 artists from South India titled Spotlight on the South opened to a sizeable crowd — […]

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Chennai | Madras Art Weekend highlights paintings and sculptures by 60 South Indian artists

Chennai | Madras Art Weekend highlights paintings and sculptures by 60 South Indian artists

Art and spaces that hold art have for long been synonymous with quietude, hushed whispers, and silent observation. Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai on December 5, however, painted a contrasting picture. The recently-renovated gallery was bursting at the seams with over 60 artists, their 200-plus pieces of work, and enthusiastic patrons and well-wishers, at the […]

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Chennai | Paintings and sculptures by over 80 artists on display at Lalit Kala Akademi

Chennai | Paintings and sculptures by over 80 artists on display at Lalit Kala Akademi

A series of abstract artworks by A Viswam on display | Photo Credit: special arrangement Walking through Lalit Kala Akademi today envelopes one in a journey of the city’s artistic culture. For one sees the dance of Radha/Krishna on a canvas as well as their grandmother’s folktales come to life, all within the same walls. […]

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Tracing Tamil Nadu’s stand up paddle awakening

Tracing Tamil Nadu’s stand up paddle awakening

The calm waters of Pirappanvalasai Beach along the Palk Strait usually scream shades of azure under the unforgiving afternoon sun. On one afternoon in September, this stretch of white sand along the bay, saw a group of spectators snug under a tent, breaking into loud cheers. They were here from villages in and around Rameswaram, […]

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Kovalam near Chennai hosts India’s first night surf event

Kovalam near Chennai hosts India’s first night surf event

A surfer in action at Kovalam | Photo Credit: special arrangement Kovalam’s Pearl beach basks in a resplendent glow. Not of the rising sun this time, but of large floodlights erected on the shore, that put the ocean and its rippling frothy waves under the spotlight. At India’s first-ever experimental night surfing event, Kovalam’s surfing […]

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Want to swim? Chennai has a new chlorine-free public swimming pool

Want to swim? Chennai has a new chlorine-free public swimming pool

Chlorine-free pool at Blues | Photo Credit: Praneeth Reddy While Chennai now has the answer to every novice’s want for physical activity and love for sport, in the form of turfs, courts and outdoor spaces, swimming pools are still hard to come by.  Recreational swimmers are almost always in search of accessible pools. Save a […]

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Japanese cheesecakes with live music: The Great Madras Bake Sale is back in Chennai

Japanese cheesecakes with live music: The Great Madras Bake Sale is back in Chennai

This edition will feature 25 home bakers | Photo Credit: special arrangement Nothing short of a carnival: this is what entrepreneurs Maaria Tanveer, Cindana Manickavel and Priya Anup envision for The Great Madras Bake Sale’s much-awaited second edition. After the whopping success of its maiden effort in 2019, this bake sale, which spotlights promising home […]

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Chennai to host its first studio potters’ market

Chennai to host its first studio potters’ market

One of the pieces on display | Photo Credit: special arrangement A tree house hinged on the shell of a turtle? As bizarre as it sounds, this single piece of intricate art entirely done in ceramic, speaks volumes of the craftsmanship behind pottery as an art practice.  Sculptural and most often utilitarian, pottery across mediums […]

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My hopes for 2024: What Chennai personalities look forward to in the New Year

My hopes for 2024: What Chennai personalities look forward to in the New Year

Asal Kolaar, Rapper and musician With every year, I strive to be better. This was a year that I could see some growth in myself. My visibility increased twofold. My recent songs in the latter half of the year, ‘Naa Ready’ from Leo and ‘Kotha Raja’ from King of Kotha wrapped up the year on […]

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