Chennai! The very word evokes a motley of emotions. This city has been my haven for twelve eventful years and the thought of severing ties with her is quite disturbing. Yet, now that my parents have shifted to Bangalore, my sojourns to Chennai will be sporadic.
The first time I stepped on the Chennai Central Station was in 1997. Though it's a platitude, I must say, the fragrance of filter coffee and jasmine flowers stimulated my olfactory senses to such an extent, that I fell for the city at once! Mr. Sukumaran , a bulky gentleman with an enormous sideburns moustache greeted us with a wide smile and heavily accented English. Chennai, those days was far less populated. Platforms and roads were clean and dry. However, even in 1997, there were hardly any Ambassadors and Fiats. During those days roads were full of Hyundais, Hondas and Toyotas with a spattering of Mercs . Coming from Calcutta, where Ambassadors ruled the roads, Chennai traffic to me, was suave.
Leaving cars aside, there were other things which embedded fond memories in my mind. As inconsequential as they may seem, they are as vivid as the scene from my window right now. The TV displayed more than 20 channels! Well back home, we could only turn onto DD-1. Now, I had my own room and the fragrance of Vim bar in the kitchen balcony made me feel so happy ! The days were hot and the evenings breezy. In fact, the nights were so breezy that the curtains often flew up and got trapped into the whirling ceiling fan above.
I LOVE Chennai! In fact I love Chennai for the same reasons which make some antipathetic towards the city. The hot and sultry climate- I love sunny blue skies and bright golden Sundays! The workaholic people- In fact , it is here that I have learned to be thorough and exhaustive in my work (not that I'm always so, but I know the benefits!). The piquant South Indian cuisine- In no time I became a self appointed brand ambassador of the Saravana Bhavan!
Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram became our frequent retreats. Like a horse with blinkers, we hardly ventured further than Madurai and Kancheepuram. Wherever we went, I always looked forward to come back home, to Chennai.
Now, Namma Chennai is overcrowded, traffic has gone amuck and the quotidian struggles have escalated. However, certain things never change. The brightly coloured pattu sarees, the mallipu adorned hair, the plethora of loud Kollywood posters, still enliven the city streets. The Amman temples tucked away at by-lanes still draw a large crowd in the mornings.
Yes, I will miss those Chennai days. I will miss the bright sunshine barging through the foliage into our balcony, the lissome squirrels gamboling in and out of the kitchen window. I will miss the piping hot Saravana coffee and the melt-in-the- mouth idlis. I will miss my friends and our Coffee Day outings. Not to forget the Tamil songs they wrote down for me in English. So that I would sing to them, and they would roll on the floor laughing at my Tamil accent!
Chennai for me is like Malgudi for R.K. Narayan. I have spent some of my best years here and I will always call it 'My Sunshine City'.
The first time I stepped on the Chennai Central Station was in 1997. Though it's a platitude, I must say, the fragrance of filter coffee and jasmine flowers stimulated my olfactory senses to such an extent, that I fell for the city at once! Mr. Sukumaran , a bulky gentleman with an enormous sideburns moustache greeted us with a wide smile and heavily accented English. Chennai, those days was far less populated. Platforms and roads were clean and dry. However, even in 1997, there were hardly any Ambassadors and Fiats. During those days roads were full of Hyundais, Hondas and Toyotas with a spattering of Mercs . Coming from Calcutta, where Ambassadors ruled the roads, Chennai traffic to me, was suave.
Leaving cars aside, there were other things which embedded fond memories in my mind. As inconsequential as they may seem, they are as vivid as the scene from my window right now. The TV displayed more than 20 channels! Well back home, we could only turn onto DD-1. Now, I had my own room and the fragrance of Vim bar in the kitchen balcony made me feel so happy ! The days were hot and the evenings breezy. In fact, the nights were so breezy that the curtains often flew up and got trapped into the whirling ceiling fan above.
I LOVE Chennai! In fact I love Chennai for the same reasons which make some antipathetic towards the city. The hot and sultry climate- I love sunny blue skies and bright golden Sundays! The workaholic people- In fact , it is here that I have learned to be thorough and exhaustive in my work (not that I'm always so, but I know the benefits!). The piquant South Indian cuisine- In no time I became a self appointed brand ambassador of the Saravana Bhavan!
Pondicherry and Mahabalipuram became our frequent retreats. Like a horse with blinkers, we hardly ventured further than Madurai and Kancheepuram. Wherever we went, I always looked forward to come back home, to Chennai.
Now, Namma Chennai is overcrowded, traffic has gone amuck and the quotidian struggles have escalated. However, certain things never change. The brightly coloured pattu sarees, the mallipu adorned hair, the plethora of loud Kollywood posters, still enliven the city streets. The Amman temples tucked away at by-lanes still draw a large crowd in the mornings.
Yes, I will miss those Chennai days. I will miss the bright sunshine barging through the foliage into our balcony, the lissome squirrels gamboling in and out of the kitchen window. I will miss the piping hot Saravana coffee and the melt-in-the- mouth idlis. I will miss my friends and our Coffee Day outings. Not to forget the Tamil songs they wrote down for me in English. So that I would sing to them, and they would roll on the floor laughing at my Tamil accent!
Chennai for me is like Malgudi for R.K. Narayan. I have spent some of my best years here and I will always call it 'My Sunshine City'.
Great Pubali..I feel the same ...when I first came to settle here after my lovely Lucknow Life I HATED CHENNAI With my whole heart...this was in 1993...i found the people so so rude and dis interested in others...interested only in themselves...this was after the nawabi culture of Lucknow...However I soon got so used to Chennai that I realised that it was not that people are really rude and selfish in this BRIGHT SUNNY CITY... but as u say they are WORKAHOLICS...the city has taught me a lot and just like u I love the place... in fact there is NO PLACE LIKE CHENNAI for me now :) do keep coming back dear Pubali :)
ReplyDeletevery nice pubali.. I Love Chennai just for the reason that i was born and brought up here.. how beautifully you have cherished so many things since 1997. Starting from mallipoo to Coofee day.. thank u so much dear for your love for this good old city..!
ReplyDeleteChennai is missing this smart, sweet and innocent Bengali beauty:)
Do keep coming back..
-- On behalf of all Chennaiites
This Chennaitte
Love