The resilience of the city is what I celebrate the most, says GCC Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran

The extraordinary resilience of Chennai is what I celebrate the most, says Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran.

Mr. Kumaragurubaran attributes this resilience of the city to “an equitable mix ofaccommodative, cosmopolitan, and conservative aspects.”

“The city has always been considered conservative; back in the day, unlike other cities, Chennai did not have a nightlife,” the GCC Commissioner says.

“Students wanting to burn the midnight oil could hardly find even a tea shop. However, it has actually been a mix of all classes of people, multilingual, cosmopolitan, coexisting peacefully.”

“During the Chennai floods in 2015, I was the Director of Information and Public Relations. I could sense the strength of a huge network of volunteers, from all classes and linguistic backgrounds in Chennai. They showcased the city’s resilience when relief materials did not reach several neighbourhoods.”

“We are ready to add infrastructure to promote nightlife, like pedestrian plaza in Khader Nawaz Khan Road, but this heritage city will continue to be conservative, despite accommodating new ideas for greaterglory.”

(As told to Aloysius Xavier Lopez)