August 01, 2026

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Who Shapes Our Cities?

Cities are not just collections of buildings, infrastructure and markets. They are living expressions of the values, aspirations and everyday choices of the diverse people who inhabit them, both now and across generations. They also look and feel different, depending on where you experience them from.At the neighbourhood level, for instance, the safety of children playing in open spaces, the ease with which the elderly navigate the streets, the warmth with which neighbours welcome visitors, and the relationship between civic authorities and residents all reveal the quality of life in a city. They also reveal something equally important about us, because ultimately it is people who make--and maintain--their cities, or fail to do so. Arguably, we get the cities we deserve.Cities rarely evolve by accident. A city with inclusive public spaces, organized roads, vibrant neighbourhoods and a strong sense of civic pride is usually the product of a society that values collective well-being and consciously nurtures the civic compact. Conversely, a city struggling with chaotic public spaces, traffic congestion, encroachment, pollution and public indifference is not simply the result of poor planning or administrative failure. More often than not, it reflects a dysfunctional society and a conflicted polity. Building better cities therefore

Lights! Camera! CAMPAIGN!

A LOT OF TAMIL, TELUGU and Kannada-language films make much pomp and show of introducing their leading man, often with name-cards that flash epithets like `Mega Power Star' (Ram Charan), `Rocking Star' (Yash) and so on. But during my Friday morning show of the Tamil-language Thalapathy Vijay film Jana Nayagan, I saw an introductory name-card unlike any other in recent memory: `Starring The Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu'. And believe me, the card drew plenty of loud cheers and whistles at PVR Select Citywalk, the response falling just short of a standing ovation.That moment encapsulated something Indian cinema has practised for decades: films that function simultaneously as mass entertainment and political messaging, blurring the line between the box office and the ballot box.Before it ran into trouble with the certification board, Jana Nayagan was supposed to release on the Pongal weekend in January, three months before the Tamil Nadu state assembly elections. As such, the film works as an extended, three-hour video manifesto for Vijay and his political party, the TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam). The story follows Thalapathy Vettri Kondan--also known by his initials, TVK, conveniently tattooed on his arm--a former IPS officer who figures out that his adoptive daughter's childhood trauma is linked to an ongoing